LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Buildings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Leader of the House what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his office were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons was established in June 2003 and does not own or rent building space.
	The Privy Council Office provides the office with accommodation at 2 Carlton Gardens, and it is responsible for all renovation and maintenance projects.

Temporary Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how many staff his Office employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Office paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04 to the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will list the employment agencies which his office has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons was established in June 2003 and the information is set out in the list below.
	Staff are employed through employment agencies on a temporary basis to cover vacancies during recruitment.
	Year—2003–04
	Number—2
	Percentage—13
	Amount—£9,561.30
	The agencies used were Adecco (UK) Limited and Josephine Sammons Ltd.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the effect of fees charged for the migration of broadband customers on (a) competitiveness in telecommunications and (b) broadband take-up.

Stephen Timms: According to Oftel's "International benchmarking study of Internet access (dial-up and broadband)" for October 2003, the percentage growth in broadband subscriber numbers in the UK remains strong. The UK market is more competitive in terms of service providers and infrastructure competition than either France or Germany. Although take-up in the UK is behind other countries benchmarked, this is at least partly explained by the later launch date of broadband in the UK and the availability of unmetered services.
	These factors along with increasingly competitive broadband prices, present a positive picture for broadband development in the UK and in the six months prior to the study, the UK had reached penetration levels similar to France and was catching up on Germany.
	In December 2003, Oftel and the incoming Communications Regulator Ofcom agreed a joint draft decision on the regulation of the UK's wholesale broadband access market, which concluded regulatory obligations remained necessary to ensure fair and effective competition. UK individuals and organisations with an interest in the wholesale broadband market were given until 6 February to comment. The EU is also considering the proposals.
	Oftel and Ofcom also found that BT should be required to provide its Datastream products on a retail minus basis to allow a sufficient margin between the price it charges for its IPStream products and the price charged for the Datastream products. The actual retail minus margin will be set following consultation in the first quarter of 2004.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Patricia Hewitt: In 2003 there were four cases of computer misuse notified to the DTI Human Resources and Change Management Conduct and Discipline Team. Three of these cases involved the distribution of inappropriate material and the fourth the accessing of inappropriate internet sites. Disciplinary action was taken in all four cases.
	Figures for 1997 are not available. 1997 information is not maintained as this is outside the normal retention period for disciplinary cases.

House Sharers

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will give the same rights to house-sharers not living as a couple as is proposed for same-sex couples in the Civil Partnerships Bill.

Jacqui Smith: The Government will make clear its detailed proposals on introduction of the forthcoming Civil Partnership Bill. The rights of house-sharers are a separate issue to those of same-sex couples who are unable to marry and there are currently no plans for changes to the law in that area.

Regional Funding

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding has been allocated to (a) European regional development fund areas, (b) Frameworks for Regional Employment and Skills Action, (c) Phoenix Fund and (d) regional centres for manufacturing excellence and (e) warm zones in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06 and (iii) total.

Patricia Hewitt: In accordance with the Spending Review 2002 settlement the Government plan to spend:
	
		£ million
		
			  (a) European Regional Development Fund -ERDF (DTI-related expenditure cover) (c) Phoenix Fund (d) Regional centres for manufacturing excellence  
		
		
			 2004–05 186.3 25 2.8 
			 2005–06 176.4 25 0 
			 Total 362.7 50 2.8 
		
	
	(b) In relation to Frameworks for Regional Employment and Skills Action, which is the responsibility of DfES: these are the way in which key regional partners led by the RDA develop and deliver an agreed plan to address skills and employment needs of employers and individuals within the region. The resources which partners bring to the table in respect of agreed priorities in the FRESA will vary from region to region.
	(e) Warm zones: no DTI funding has been allocated to Warm Zones in 2004–05 or 2005–06.

Secondments

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG have made to her Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from her Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks.

Patricia Hewitt: Secondments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. Before an Interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.
	Inward Secondments
	There have been three secondees from (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, two from (b) Deloitte and Touche, five from (c) Ernst and Young and one from (d) KPMG to the Department since 2001.
	The following table shows the period of each secondment and the position of each secondee.
	
		
			 Company Start date End date Position 
		
		
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 25 March 2002 31 March 2004 Deputy Director in UK Trade and Investment (Entrepreneurial Inward Investment) 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 4 November 2002 29 October 2004 Assistant Director in Industrial Development Unit 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 15 June 1999 9 May 2001 Investigator in Company Law and Investigations 
			 Deloitte and Touche 2 September 2002 31 July 2003 Director in Business Relations 
			 Deloitte and Touche 26 July 2000 31 August 2001 Assistant Director in Nuclear Industries Directorate 
			 Ernst and Young 3 February 2003 2 February 2005 Assistant Director in UK T and I 
			 Ernst and Young 14 January 2004 13 January 2006 Assistant Director in Industrial Development Unit 
			 Ernst and Young 15 April 2002 16 April 2004 Deputy Director in Industrial Development Unit 
			 Ernst and Young 2 September 2002 1 September 2004 Deputy Director in Industrial Development Unit 
			 Ernst and Young 15 April 2002 21 March 2004 Director, Internal Audit 
			 KPMG 16 July 2001 1 March 2002 Manager in Engineering Industries Directorate 
		
	
	Outward secondments
	There have been no secondments of DTI staff to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG since 2001.

DEFENCE

Sea Cadet Corps

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what formal relationship there is between the Royal Navy and the Sea Cadet Corps.

Ivor Caplin: The Royal Navy's formal relationship with the Sea Cadet Corps is set out in a Memorandum of Understanding between its two principal sponsors, the Ministry of Defence and the Sea Cadet Association.
	Discussions are under way on this memorandum as it is due for review in July this year.

Defence Industrial Policy

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to involve trade unions in defence industrial policy.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence regularly exchanges views with trade unionists on a range of defence industrial issues. They have welcomed the Defence Industrial Policy that we published in October 2002.

Aircraft Carriers

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the proposed new aircraft carriers to enter service.

Adam Ingram: Our target in-service dates for the two new carriers remain as 2012 and 2015. Estimates for their delivery are being developed progressively during the remainder of the Assessment Phase, taking account of the maturing carrier design. Expected in-service dates will be confirmed when we agree the contracting arrangements for Demonstration and Manufacture.

Territorial Army

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army soldiers are deployed in (a) Iraq and (b) Kosovo; and how many of them have been compulsorily mobilised.

Ivor Caplin: There are currently some 970 Territorial Army personnel serving in Iraq and 10 in Kosovo who have been compulsorily mobilised. In addition, there are five TA personnel serving in Kosovo who have not.

Departmental Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG.

Ivor Caplin: The Rules on Acceptance of Outside Appointments by Crown Servants (the "Business Appointment Rules"), which are set out in section 4.3 of the Civil Service Management Code, require MOD officials within two years of leaving to obtain permission, in the circumstances defined in paragraph 7 of the rules, before taking up new employment.
	It is not our policy to discuss individual applications. Only the most senior officials, whose applications are considered by the Prime Ministers' Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, are required to inform their former Department when they take up such appointments. This information is published in the Committee's annual report.
	Since 1 January 2001, four former MOD officials have applied for permission to join PricewaterhouseCoopers; two to join KPMG; and two to join Ernst & Young. All applications were approved unconditionally. No applications have been received to join Deloitte & Touche.

Deployments (Germany)

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to relocate an infantry brigade from Germany to the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 26 March 2004
	There are no infantry brigades stationed in Germany and we have no plans to change our force levels there.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: The security situation in Iraq remains difficult, with crime a particular problem. The vast majority of terrorist attacks against Iraqi and Coalition security forces and civilians continue to occur to the North and West of Baghdad. Much of the country is calm, however, and normal life is resuming without incident. Around 75,000 Iraqi police are now on duty and more are being trained.
	I am sure the House would wish to join me in congratulating British forces for the courage and restraint they showed in calming the recent unrest in Basrah.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken in each of the cases where successful claims for compensation have been paid to Iraqis alleging injury by UK forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 19 January 2004
	I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers serving in Iraq have been treated for stress; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Stress may cause a wide-range of medical conditions. As at 25 March 2004, 120 members of the United Kingdom armed forces had been evacuated from Iraq for psychiatric reasons. We do not record centrally whether individual cases are stress-related.

Kilve Bend Range

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many objects were dropped by aircraft on the range at Kilve Bend in Somerset in the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The range at Kilve Bend, part of the Lilstock Royal Navy Range, served until 1995 as a practice bombing range for fixed-wing aircraft using inert ordinance. It was redesignated as a helicopter gunnery range that year and nothing has been dropped by aircraft on the range since.

Kuwait

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department gives to the Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The UK currently fills one staff officer post in the Humanitarian Operations Centre and is in the process of filling a second.

Osama Bin Laden

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are involved in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden; what progress has been made in the search; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The United Kingdom continues to support the objectives of Operation Enduring Freedom, the US-led coalition operation against international terrorism and its continuing search for the leadership of Al Qaida. All UK forces in the theatre are involved in helping to stabilise Afghanistan to ensure it does not again become a haven for terrorists.

RAF Stafford

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the radioactive items held at RAF Stafford, indicating in each case (a) the length of time held and (b) the purpose of holding them.

Ivor Caplin: It will take some time to collate the information requested.
	I will, therefore write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Sanctuary Magazine

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money was spent on (a) research, (b) staffing costs, (c) printing and publication, (d) distribution and (e) other costs for Sanctuary magazine No. 32, 2003; and how much was paid to DCCS Media.

Ivor Caplin: All research for Sanctuary magazine is carried out by MOD staff, for whom production of the publication is part of their normal duties. Consequently, there are no separate staffing or research costs. The printing and publication costs for the 2003 edition were some £27,000, with the distribution costing £1,500. All costs were met from the budget of the Defence Estates Agency, with no direct payment being made to DCCS media.

War Disablement Pensioners

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in London are in receipt of a war disablement pension; and how many of those receive the war pensioners' mobility supplement.

Ivor Caplin: According to the Veterans Agency Computer System, as at 31 December 2003, there were 8,710 ongoing war disablement pensioners with a recorded address in the Government Office Region of London.
	Of these, 820 were receiving the war pensioners' mobility supplement.
	Please note that all figures are rounded to the nearest five.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet Committee on Relocation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the recommendations of the Lyons Report, when a Cabinet Committee on relocation will be set up; who will chair it; and who its members will be.

Tony Blair: I shall announce shortly the arrangements for following up this aspect of Sir Michael Lyons's report.

Employment Agencies

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the employment agencies which his office has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Tony Blair: Since April 2000, my office has used four employment agencies to supply temporary staff to fill vacancies in IT, correspondence, secretarial and administrative support. These are Adecco, Excel Josephine Sammons Agency and Susan Hamilton Agency. Information for the years before 2000 is not held centrally.

Liberation of Rome (1944)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer from the Leader of the House to the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1673, on prime ministerial and Royal representation at the 60th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Rome on 4 June, what action he proposes to take.

Tony Blair: There are no plans for a Member of the Royal Family or me to attend the 60th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Rome on 4 June. While we acknowledge this as a significant event in the course of the war, we understand that any ceremony is likely to be a Rome Municipality event rather than a State one. However, it is hoped that a Member of the Royal Family will represent Her Majesty at the commemoration event of the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy in May.

Libya

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if, during his forthcoming visit to Libya, he will discuss the future detention of Abdul Bassett al Megrahi.

Tony Blair: I discussed a wide range of issues with Colonel Qadhafi including international and regional security issues and the Middle East Peace Process.
	The terms under which Abdelbaset Al Megrahi is serving his prison sentence were briefly discussed.

Party Use of Government Buildings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Prime Minister how many Labour Party events have been held at (a) Number 10 and (b) Number 11 Downing Street since 1997; and how much was paid for the use of the venue in each case.

Tony Blair: As was the practice under previous administrations, I have hosted a number of political events at Downing Street. The costs of these were met by the Labour Party.

Register of Interests

Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister what the requirements are on officials in his Office to declare current interests; and what register of interests is kept for his officials.

Tony Blair: The rules on the disclosure of interests are set out in section 4.3 of the Civil Service Management Code.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General which non-governmental (a) experts and (b) lawyers advised her Department on the legality of war in Iraq; how much each received in public funds; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 22 March 2004
	No non-governmental experts or lawyers were instructed to advise the Law Officers on whether the war in Iraq was lawful.

Overseas Bribery

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Solicitor-General how many people specialise in combating overseas bribery in the (a) Crown Prosecution Service and (b) Serious Fraud Office.

Harriet Harman: Prosecutions under part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2002 are undertaken by corruption specialists within CPS Casework Directorate.
	Taking account of part-time workers, there were 60.3 senior prosecutors within CPS Casework Directorate at 1 March 2004, all of whom have experience of either corruption prosecutions, international work or both.
	In view of the very small number of cases so far referred to CPS Casework Directorate, no prosecutor currently specialises exclusively in dealing with overseas corruption.
	All SFO lawyers and investigators are required to have a thorough knowledge of fraud related offences, including corruption and the offences falling under part 12 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. However, the Serious Fraud Office does not allocate its staff resource to a particular type of crime or case. Each case referred to the SFO is assessed on its individual merits, including allegations of bribery by UK citizens or companies overseas. As such there are no staff members whose role is solely the investigation and prosecution of overseas bribery.

Parliamentary Questions

Simon Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General when she will write to the hon. Member for Ceredigion with a substantive answer to the question tabled by him on 13 October 2003, reference 132362.

Harriet Harman: A reply was sent following prorogation and a copy placed in the Library. An additional copy has been sent to the hon. Member.

Youth Matters

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what youth matters she has considered recently.

Harriet Harman: I have considered a wide range of youth matters recently, including persistent young offenders, the street crime initiative, anti-social behaviour orders, sexual offences against children and protection of child witnesses.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Chinese Government on (a) removing the death sentence imposed on the Buddhist religious leader, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche and (b) allowing a fair retrial in the presence of international impartial observers.

Bill Rammell: I raised the case with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003. He replied that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche had had a fair and public trial and been sentenced in accordance with Chinese law. His case was also recently raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue session held in Dublin on 26–27 February 2004.
	We and our EU partners have raised in a series of demarches with the Chinese authorities our serious concerns about the way in which the trial was conducted and the lack of transparency. The latest EU demarche took place in Beijing on 4 February. In response, Mr. Wang Min, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Organisations and Conferences at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche was in good health and being held in Chuandong prison, Sichuan province.

China

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the Chinese arms embargo.

Bill Rammell: The European Council on 12 December 2003 invited the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) to re-examine the EU Arms Embargo on China. The GAERC met on 26 January 2004 and decided to remit the issue to the relevant working groups for detailed examination. The issue will revert to a future GAERC.
	The Government welcome the review and Ministers are currently considering the UK's position. In the meantime we will continue fully to implement the Arms Embargo.

China

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) the Chinese Ambassador to the Court of St. James regarding the use of Chinese airspace and refuelling facilities in respect of the transport of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology (i) to and (ii) from North Korea.

Denis MacShane: We regularly discuss, at both ministerial and official level, a range of non-proliferation issues with the Government of China. Such discussions include the proliferation activities of North Korea, which are a matter of mutual concern.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 16 February 2004, with regard to Irene Clare Garner.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 24 March 2004.

Elections (International Observers)

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely impact on transparency and fairness of providing international observers at forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in (a) South Africa, (b) Malawi, (c) the Philippines, (d) Indonesia, (e) Botswana, (f) Ireland, (g) Niger, (h) the United States of America, (i) Namibia, (j) Malaysia, (k) Mozambique, (l) Sudan and (m) Ghana; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government support the presence of international election observers as they help promote fair and democratic elections. They provide an independent and neutral appraisal and, although the recommendations are not legally binding, they provide objective guidance for the government in question. Furthermore, the international presence enhances public confidence in the election process, helping to strengthen the respect for human rights and to prevent tension and violence.
	It is generally the case that international missions are sent to observe elections at the invitation of the government of the country in question. Currently, the EU has a mission in Indonesia and in Sri Lanka and will shortly be deploying a mission to Malawi. The OSCE is planning election observation missions to the USA and to Ireland. UK observers participate in all of these missions.

Embassy and High Commission Land

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much embassy and high commission land has been sold in each year since 1998; and what the value was in pounds sterling.

Bill Rammell: The value and areas of land that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has sold since 1998 are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Area soldsquare metre Sale proceeds (£000) 
		
		
			 1998–99 9,400 383 
			 1999–2000 142,454.4 18,652 
			 2000–01 — — 
			 2001–02 11,881 20,041 
			 2002–03 19,132.6 1,787 
			 2003–04 1,500 112

Embassy and High Commission Land

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) high commissions and (b) embassies from which land has been sold in each year since 1998.

Bill Rammell: In each year since 1998 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has sold land at the following posts:
	
		
			  Post 
		
		
			 2001–02 British High Commission, Singapore 
			 2001–02 British High Commission, Valletta 
			 2002–03 British High Commission, Pretoria 
			 1998–99 British High Commission, Quito 
			 1999–2000 British Embassy, Dublin 
			 2001–02 British Embassy, Kiev 
			 2002–03 British Consulate-General, Alexandria 
			 2003–04 British Embassy, Kiev

Iran

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to impose trade sanctions on Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to impose trade sanctions on Iran, a country with which we have normal diplomatic relations.

Iraq

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, for each month since it was established, the total income from oil revenues paid into the development fund for Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Information on the amount of Iraqi oil produced each month from May 2003 to January 2004 inclusive is given in the following table. Information on the amount paid for the oil is not publicly available. However, as of 5 March 2004, a total of US $6.18 billion of oil proceeds had been received by the Development Fund for Iraq. This information is available through the Coalition Provisional Authority website at www.cpa-iraq.org/budget/DFI introl.html.
	
		
			 Iraqi oil production(million barrels per day) Net production 
		
		
			 May 2003 0.28 
			 June 2003 0.44 
			 July 2003 0.70 
			 August 2003 1.11 
			 September 2003 1.41 
			 October 2003 1.58 
			 November 2003 1.92 
			 December 2003 1.97 
			 January 2004 2.04 
		
	
	(1) Estimated Iraqi oil supply net of re-injected crude oil.

Israel

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration about the Israeli wall.

Bill Rammell: We are in regular contact with the US Administration, at all levels, about the situation in the Middle East including the Israeli security barrier.

Press Releases

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions since 1 January 2003 his Department has quoted an official from a foreign Government in the title of a press release.

Jack Straw: My Press Office has checked its database for all press releases issued since January 2003. No quotes from foreign government officials have been found in any of the titles.

Canada

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Canadian Government on seal culling in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We last made formal representations to the Canadian Government in 1999. The Canadian authorities are fully aware of our views. We do not accept the need for any seal cull, but if one does take place it should be sustainable and based on a precautionary principle.

Sri Lanka

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his officials have had with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka about the needs of Muslims in Sri Lanka.

Mike O'Brien: In their contacts with representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) officials from the British high commission in Sri Lanka regularly raise concerns regarding community relations in LTTE-held areas including the situation of the Muslim community.

Sri Lanka

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to stop the displacement of Muslims in Sri Lanka.

Mike O'Brien: The forced displacement in the past of large numbers of the Muslim community in parts of North and East Sri Lanka by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is one of the many regrettable aspects of the conflict. A large number of Muslims remain internally displaced. Their reintegration and that of other internally displaced people will be a major issue for a permanent peace agreement to address. We are not aware of any significant recent displacements of Muslims although relations between Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese communities in eastern Sri Lanka remains an issue of concern. The Government, through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, are currently funding work by local NGOs to develop early warning mechanisms to prevent local disputes in the east from escalating.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in the Sudan peace talks.

Chris Mullin: The current round of peace talks had been due to adjourn on 16 March but have now been extended until 31 March 2004. The First-Vice President and the Chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement continue to discuss the outstanding issues. We remain hopeful that a framework agreement will be finalised soon.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the fighting between the Sudan People's Liberation Army and the Lord's Resistance Army in Southern Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We are aware of recent reports of skirmishes between the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan but have no confirmed details.
	However, we recognise that Sudan has a potentially significant role to play in the resolution of the conflict in northern Uganda and are encouraged by recent efforts at cooperation between the two countries. We continue to emphasise this through our Embassy in Khartoum and in ministerial exchanges.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of the Government of Chad in the conflict in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: We welcome the Government of Chad's readiness to help the parties to the conflict to find a solution to Darfur's problems, and its continued support to the 110,000 Sudanese refugees whom they are currently hosting.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US Administration on the situation in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: We are in daily contact with the US Administration about the situation in Darfur and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development spoke to the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development about Darfur on 10 March 2004. We are working closely with the US to get the parties to re-establish a ceasefire, preferably with international monitoring, to permit humanitarian access to all those in need, and to resume talks to find a peaceful solution to Darfur's problems.

Travel Guidance

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance is issued to British embassies and high commissions abroad on appropriate support to (a) visiting Government Ministers, (b) visiting select committees, (c) select committee members travelling individually and (d) visiting hon. Members; and if he will publish the guidelines in full.

Jack Straw: Guidance on handling visiting select committees, individual MPs and opposition front bench Members is available to all Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff, at home and abroad, on the FCO intranet. I have placed copies of the relevant guidance in the Library of the House. The FCO does not issue specific guidance on what level of support should be provided for visiting Government Ministers or select committee members travelling individually.

Australia

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Australian counterpart a mutual prisoner exchange scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: There is already a mutual prisoner exchange scheme in place. Australia acceded to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (CECTSP) in January 2003. The Council of Europe Convention is a multilateral agreement. As of March 2004, the convention has 54 signatories including the UK. HM Prison Service is currently aware of five British nationals in Australia who are seeking to transfer back to the UK.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which former officials of the Office have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG.

Douglas Alexander: All civil servants are subject to the business appointment rules, which set out the circumstances in which they must seek permission to accept outside appointments within two years of leaving the Service. A copy of the rules is available in the Libraries of the House. Information about appointments taken up by the most senior staff is published in the annual reports of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The next annual report will be published shortly.
	In respect of permissions requested since 2001 there has been a single application under the Business Appointments rules from a former Cabinet Office employee wishing to join KPMG. This application was approved.

DirectGov

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people (a) have so far been employed and (b) it is planned will be employed on the DirectGov project;
	(2)  what the cost has been of the establishment of the DirectGov service; what the running costs of the service will be; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans his Department has to expand the DirectGov service; what the cost implications of those plans are; what assessment he has made of how greater efficiency in the provision of Government services could be gained through DirectGov; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: DirectGov is the Government's new online service, currently accessible via the UK Online website. Directgov is designed around the needs of the user, making it much easier to find and access Government information and services electronically. The DirectGov site will be expanded over the coming months in both structure and content, taking stakeholder and user feedback into consideration.
	Currently the existing UK Online team of 39 staff within the Office of the e-envoy manage the project and have a combined programme and infrastructure budget of £4.4 million. The future budget and staffing of DirectGov will—be decided in conjunction with the site expansion.

Official Data

Ian Gibson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans there are to co-ordinate the Office for National Statistics citizen information project, the Home Office identification cards database plan and the NHS health records spine.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Ian Gibson, dated 29 March 2004
	As Registrar General for England & Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the Citizen Information Project (CIP) and other government initiatives. (163155)
	The CIP, the National Identity Register (part of the Government's proposals for an identity card scheme) and the NHS data spine are separate but complementary projects. I fully recognise the need for effective communication between these initiatives and we are working hard to support this. For example, the Home Office and the Department of Health are represented at senior level on the CIP Project Board and there is ONS representation on the ID Cards Programme Board.
	However the programmes are at different stages and as yet there has not been ministerial approval to implement CIP. Therefore, the main objective is to ensure that the programmes are proceeding in such a manner that would allow integration in the future if appropriate whilst continuing to work closely and liaise at every stage of the development phase.

Secondments

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG have made to the Office since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from the Office have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks.

Douglas Alexander: The Government are committed to developing a modern, flexible, outward-focused civil service that works in partnership with all sectors of society. Interchange is a key tool in meeting that commitment. Secondments are encouraged as part of the interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises. In all cases agreement is reached with the parent organisation on the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office to ensure it falls in the civil service pay range appropriate to the post.
	The following table gives the number of secondees from 2001 from each of the organisations named in the question.
	
		
			 Seconded from (i) Period of secondment (months) Management Unit 
		
		
			  (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers12 Performance and Innovation Unit 
			 (3 individuals) 12 Performance and Innovation Unit 
			  11 Prime Minister's Delivery Unit 
			
			 (b) Deloitte & Touche 6 Office of Public Service Reform 
			 (2 individuals) 12 Shareholder Executive 
			
			 (c) Ernst & Young(nil) n/a n/a 
			
			 (d) KPMG 17 Performance and Innovation Unit 
			 (4 individuals) 16 Office of the e-Envoy 
			  14 Office of the e-Envoy 
			  24 Prime Minister's Delivery Unit 
		
	
	
		
			 Seconded to (A) Period of secondment (months) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers (nil) n/a 
			 (b) Deloitte & Touche (1 individual) 24 
			 (c) Ernst & Young (nil) n/a 
			 (d) KPMG (nil) n/a

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Double Decker Buses (Tourism)

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research has been carried out into the role of the red double decker as a tourist attraction in London.

Richard Caborn: Tourism and transport policy in London is the responsibility of the Mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA). The GLA have advised me that the phased replacement of the red double-decker "Routemaster" buses is being carried out to improve efficiency, safety, security and accessibility. I also understand that the Mayor is, however, well aware of the iconic significance of the red double-decker for London and is actively looking at ways that a limited number can be kept on central London streets in the long term.

Employment Agencies

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the employment agencies which her Department has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: The following employment agencies have been used to supply temporary staff for each financial year:
	
		
			  Employment agency 
		
		
			 1997–98 Hays Accountancy 
			  FSS Financial 
			  Reed 
			  Barclay Simpson 
			 1998–99 Hays Accountancy 
			  FSS Financial 
			  Barclay Simpson 
			  Reed 
			 1999–2000 Hays Accountancy 
			  Reed 
			  Josephine Sammons 
			 2000–01 Hays Accountancy 
			  Barclay Simpson 
			  Oldfield Ellis Associates Ltd 
			  Josephine Sammons 
			 2001–02 Hays Accountancy 
			  Adecco 
			  Oldfield Ellis Associates Ltd 
			  Josephine Sammons 
			  Accountancy Additions 
			 2002–03 Lawson Bishop 
			  Adecco 
			  Accountancy Additions 
			  Josephine Sammons 
			 2003–04 Lawson Bishop 
			  Adecco 
			  Accountancy Additions 
			  Josephine Sammons 
		
	
	Note
	There are no records prior to 1997–98.

Green Spaces Funding

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated in (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) in total to playing fields and community green spaces.

Richard Caborn: The joint Sport England and New Opportunities Fund (NOF) programme 'Active England' will provide over £108 million to create new and improved community sports facilities in England. It is anticipated that a number of the applications made for Active England funding will be for playing fields.
	During the past three years, the Sport England Playing Fields and Community Green Spaces programme, which formed part of the NOF £130 million Green Spaces and Sustainable Communities initiative, has invested £19,429,648 into 227 projects providing new or improved playing fields for community access. Of these 216 are now complete.

Public Libraries

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent on public library (a) buildings and (b) books in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) West Derbyshire in each year since 1997.

Estelle Morris: Other than the information contained within the Annual Public Library Statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), and available in the Library of the House, data of this kind is not held centrally.
	CIPFA included regional breakdowns in the library statistics for the first time in 2001–02 and this is the only year for which these figures are available currently. The premises and books and pamphlets expenditure figures for the East Midlands Region for 2001–02 are shown as follows.
	The CIPFA statistics are broken down to library authority level. The relevant figures for Derbyshire are shown as follows. Derbyshire County Council will be able to supply information for the West Derbyshire area specifically.
	
		£
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Expenditure on library premises  
			 East Midlands — — — — 6,141,184 
			 Derbyshire 855,560 1,035,674 1,053,910 1,027,767 1,204,009 
			   
			 Expenditure on books  
			 East Midlands — — — — 6,399,848 
			 Derbyshire 908,850 963,742 919,776 911,430 918,985

National Lottery

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery expenditure has been allocated to sporting projects in (a) the East Midlands and (b) West Derbyshire in each of the past five years, broken down by Lottery distributor.

Estelle Morris: The information shown in the table is broken down by calendar year. It is derived from information supplied to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by the Lottery Distribution bodies. It refers to the constituency of West Derbyshire, and the whole of the East Midlands region.
	
		£
		
			  West Derbyshire East Midlands 
			  Sport England UK sport Sport England UK sport 
		
		
			 1995 108,199 0 6,263,431 0 
			 1996 2,500 0 3,681,775 0 
			 1997 615,500 0 11,146,998 0 
			 1998 914,215 0 33,631,371 0 
			 1999 462,728 417,557 4,139,890 3,216,703 
			 2000 1,457,173 0 28,322,216 5,179,090 
			 2001 1,992,653 0 30,407,031 8,397,200 
			 2002 553,762 0 12,708,685 0 
			 2003 0 0 10,033,598 527,700

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EU Development Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the commitment of EU development assistance to the EU/European Bank for Reconstruction and Development investment preparation facility in 2002.

Hilary Benn: The EU/EBRD Investment Preparation Facility (IPF), which ran until the end of 2003, was part of the EC regular Tacis budget. The facility essentially consisted of EC technical cooperation funds for EBRD projects in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In 2002 the EU/EBRD IPF amounted to a total Euro 10 million, of which Euro 2 million have been committed. The facility has, to this date, supported projects in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will undertake an assessment of (a) the benefits of establishing credit unions in Iraq and (b) changing existing banking legislation to that end.

Hilary Benn: DFID has no plans to undertake an assessment of the benefits of establishing credit unions in Iraq, nor of changes to the existing banking legislation.
	We recognise the need to increase the availability of finance to small businesses in Iraq. For this reason DFID is providing a grant of US$15 million to the International Finance Corporation in support of its US$200 million Small Business Finance Facility. This facility will provide funds for loans to small businesses, and technical assistance to develop the skills of Iraqi banks in making such loans.

Iraq

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what income status Iraq has for aid purposes.

Hilary Benn: Despite its current low income levels, Iraq is classified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) as a Lower Middle-Income Country. Aid to Iraq is counted by the DAC as Official Development Assistance.
	The World Bank estimates Iraq's per capita GDP in 2003 to have been between US$480 to $630; i.e. low enough to put it in the low income category. GDP is however expected to grow rapidly over the coming years. GDP per head was as high as US$3,600 in the early 1980s.

Palestine

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will respond to the recommendations of the International Development Committee Report on Development Assistance and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Hilary Benn: DFID responded to the recommendations of the International Development Select Committee report into the humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza on the 16 March. The IDC will be publishing DFID's response on Tuesday 30 March and copies will be available from the Vote Office.

Palestine

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Israeli Government regarding pollution of water sources in the (a) West Bank and (b) Gaza Strip by Israeli settlements.

Hilary Benn: DFID is working with the Palestinian Water Authority to help improve the understanding, and protection of the West Bank and Gaza's water resources. This is important in helping to improve access to safe drinking water. Data have shown that pollution of water sources from Palestinian villages and towns is the highest by volume, but pollution from Israeli settlements is higher per capita. The Government have not made any specific representations to the Israeli Government on this matter.

Palestine

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the cost of projects funded by the UK directly or through the EU in the Occupied Territories which have been damaged by Israeli military operations; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The total value of damaged projects funded by the EU (either bilaterally by member States or by the European Commission) is £26.5 million. Approximately one-sixth of this is projects solely funded by the EC. UK bilateral funding is largely technical cooperation. Physical damage caused by Israeli military operations has been minimal, and comprises damage to a few project vehicles.

British Overseas Territories

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) families and (b) children in each British Overseas Territory are living in poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: This detailed information requested is not available, as it is not collected on a regular basis by the Overseas Territories and to do so would be highly resource intensive for their Governments. However, research published recently by the Caribbean Development Bank suggests that, while there is some poverty in the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories as elsewhere, there is little that is extreme by global standards.
	DFID believes the same applies to St. Helena, where precise data are also very limited. More generally, people in the Overseas Territories are largely able to satisfy their basic nutritional requirements; all Overseas Territories are classified internationally as being of 'middle income' status or above; and all Overseas Territories have met, or have largely met, the Millennium Development Goals. DFID's development assistance to those Overseas Territories that still require it, which in the Financial Year just ending is expected to total some £39 million, includes particular focus on the needs of the poorer and more vulnerable members of the island communities.

TRANSPORT

Bicycle Helmets

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to bring forward legislation to make the wearing of bicycle helmets compulsory on (a) A roads, (b) B roads and (c) on public footpaths.

David Jamieson: Our position on compulsion has been that at current wearing rates it would cause enforcement difficulties and could have an effect on cycling levels. But the Government will keep its policies in this as in all areas under review in the light of discussion in Parliament and elsewhere.

Bicycle Helmets

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will seek information about the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory cycle helmet use in (a) the USA, (b) Australia, (c) Canada and (d) New Zealand.

David Jamieson: We have commissioned research which, while not the main focus, has considered the effect of compulsion overseas. The Transport Research Laboratory report on cycle helmet wearing relating to 1999 included a literature review of the effects of compulsion, in association with promotional initiatives, overseas. Case studies showed that helmet wearing increased substantially in the USA and Australia. In Australia there was a reported 70 per cent. decrease in cyclist head injuries. The review did not contain any information on the implications for cycling levels.
	An independent review commissioned by the Department on the effectiveness of cycle helmets, and published at the end of November 2002, conducted a further literature review on the effect of compulsion overseas. It found that there was a significant rise in the wearing rate following compulsion in provinces and states in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. There was also a known marked decrease in casualties, confirmed for Australia (70 per cent.), and also New Zealand (30 per cent.). However only Australia monitored the cycling level pre and post legislation and they saw a drop in the amount of cycling following compulsion. The conclusion was that compulsion significantly raises the wearing rate of helmets and does reduce casualties. However this is at the expense of lowering the amount of cycling.

East London Line

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that the tender specification for the East London Line extension project will reach the commercial market by the end of this financial year.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority has now put its procurement proposals to the Department. The proposals raise a range of important issues that we will need to consider carefully, in the context of the forthcoming spending review.

Employment Agencies

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the employment agencies which his Department and its predecessors have used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002 following Machinery of Government changes. Its predecessors were DoT, DETR and DTLR. To produce information on these Departments would involve disproportionate cost. Hence the information provided here covers financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04 only.
	The Department for Transport currently has a framework agreement with three employment agencies for supply of temporary administrative and secretarial staff below senior civil service. These are:
	Adecco, Brook Street and Reed Solutions.
	In addition, the Department for Transport Finance Directorate has occasionally used temporary staff with specialist finance skills from the following agencies:
	Badenoch and Clark
	Goodman Masson
	Grainger West
	Hays Accountancy
	Internal Audit People
	Marks Sattin
	Michael Page International
	Parker Bridge.

EU Freight Facilities Grants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much has been given to UK companies in EU freight facilities grants in each of the last three years; and how many UK companies benefited in each year;
	(2)  what the criteria are for UK companies to qualify for EU freight facilities grants;
	(3)  for what purposes UK companies operating in Sussex have benefited from EU freight facilities grants in the last three years.

David Jamieson: The freight facilities grant programme is a UK scheme rather than an EU one. But there are some EU programmes that have similar effect.
	Until 2001 there was an EU programme called Pilot Actions for Combined Transport (PACT) which sought to encourage modal shift. Under this some UK companies received small amounts of funding for projects such as intermodal tracking systems and feasibility studies for projects. The Department does not have a detailed breakdown by amount received, company and year.
	In 2003 the EU agreed a replacement measure called Marco Polo. This is designed to support "modal shift actions", i.e. measures to encourage the transfer of freight from road to more environmentally friendly modes of transport. In order to be eligible for funding projects should be submitted to the European Commission by a consortium of two or more undertakings established in at least two different member states. The Commission has recently completed its first call for expressions of interest but no money has yet been allocated.

Hazardous Substances (Carriage at Sea)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in implementing the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea.

David Jamieson: The UK signed the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (the HNS Convention), subject to ratification, in October 1996 as a sign of intent to proceed to ratification. The necessary enabling legislation was incorporated into the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997. Certain areas of the Convention are inconsistent with equivalent provisions that exist under EU Council Regulation 44/2001. Until this conflict was resolved by means of EU Council Decision (2002/971/EC) of 18 November 2002, the UK was not authorised to ratify the Convention.
	My Department has recently conducted the first phase of public consultation on the implementation and ratification of the HNS Convention. The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and work has commenced on the preparation of the draft legislation required to implement the Convention. The next stage will be a public consultation on the draft legislation, this should take place early this summer with a view to obtaining parliamentary approval in the autumn and ratification of the Convention before the end of the year.
	The HNS Convention will not enter into force until 18 months after the date on which at least 12 States are party to the Convention and certain thresholds relating to quantities of hazardous and noxious substances imported by those States have been reached. There are currently four States party to the HNS Convention: Angola, Morocco, the Russian Federation and Tonga.

Heavy Goods/Public Service Vehicles

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many initial annual test failures of (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) public service vehicles there were in each of the last 10 years; and what the most common grounds were on which the tests were failed.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency is responsible for the annual testing of lorries, buses and coaches at its 92 test stations across the country and at specially approved operators' premises. The number of initial annual test failures for heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles in each of the past 10 years is given in the table.
	
		Initial annual test failures: 1993–94 to 2002–03
		
			  Vehicle category 
			  HGV motor vehicles HGV trailer PSV 
		
		
			 2002–03 198,016 68,871 22,672 
			 2001–02 182,826 70,193 22,074 
			 2000–01 177,777 64,793 20,711 
			 1999–2000 167,842 59,456 19,496 
			 1998–99 175,944 59,998 21,353 
			 1997–98 175,925 56,921 20,647 
			 1996–97 164,273 51,179 21,010 
			 1995–96 156,429 47,586 21,368 
			 1994–95 152,070 47,228 22,407 
			 1993–94 155,342 48,030 24,821 
		
	
	The most common defects found that resulted in an initial annual test failure for HGV motor vehicles are headlamp aim and service brake performance. For HGV trailers, the most common defects found are service brake and parking brake performance. For PSVs the most common defects are headlamp aim and body (interior). Examples of the latter include seat condition, passenger grab rails, fire extinguishers and provision of first aid kit.

Heavy Goods/Public Service Vehicles

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many PG9s were issued to (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) public service vehicles in each of the past 10 years; and what the most common grounds were on which they were issued.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency issues prohibitions (PG9s) to vehicles which have significant defects. Prohibitions may be issued to vehicles examined during the course of VOSA's roadside enforcement activities (including vehicles seen on operators' premises) or at the time of presentation for annual test. Depending on the severity of the defect, the prohibition notice may come into force immediately or be delayed from coming into force for up to 10 days from the date of inspection.
	The number of prohibitions issued (immediate and delayed) to heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles from 1995–96 to 2002–03 is shown in the table.
	Figures are not available before 1995–96.
	
		Prohibitions issued: 1995–96 to 2002–03
		
			  Vehicle category 
			  HGV motor vehicle HGV trailer PSV 
		
		
			 2002–03 18,276 6,913 3,919 
			 2001–02 17,343 5,164 3,666 
			 2000–01 17,669 5,116 3,764 
			 1999–2000 18,012 4,989 3,783 
			 1998–99 17,320 5,094 3,509 
			 1997–98 19,686 5,625 4,481 
			 1996–97 21,970 6,797 5,259 
			 1995–96 19,009 5,702 4,585 
		
	
	The most common prohibition defects at both spot and fleet checks for HGV motor vehicles and trailers are lamps and brake systems and components. For PSVs, the most common prohibition defects are in relation to the body interior and oil and waste leaks.

Level Crossings (Pollution)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to encourage drivers to switch off their engines while being held at full-length level crossing gates.

David Jamieson: The impacts of switching off and restarting engines after a short period of time are complex and not consistent for different pollutants, such action could actually increase the overall emission level of certain types of pollutant. The effect on vehicle emissions will be dependent on factors such as the type of engine, its state of maintenance and the length of time for which the engine is switched off. It is therefore not considered appropriate to recommend engine switch-off at level crossings.

Maritime Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what responsibility (a) his Department and (b) Transec will have for maritime security under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code;
	(2)  what responsibility he will have for maritime security under the terms of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

David Jamieson: The Department for Transport is the Designated Authority to oversee the implementation and compliance of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code in the United Kingdom.
	Reporting directly to the Secretary of State, the Department for Transport's Transport Security Directorate (Transec) has the policy lead and is responsible for introducing the ISPS Code requirements to approximately 600 UK port facilities and over 600 UK flagged ships by the deadline of the 1 July 2004. Operationally Transec is responsible for UK ports and passenger shipping, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has been delegated responsibility for non-passenger shipping, under a policy framework set by Transec.

Merchant Fleet

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the size of the British merchant fleet was (a) in 1980, (b) in 1990 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available; and what plans he has to support the merchant fleet.

David Jamieson: The size of the British registered trading fleet (including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands) of vessels 500 gross tons and over, in these years was as follows.
	
		
			 End year Thousand wt. 
		
		
			 1980 42,308 
			 1990 7,446 
			 2003 19,719 
		
	
	The Government's shipping policy to support the merchant fleet is outlined in the White Paper "British Shipping: Charting a new course". An update of the current status of the 33 actions from 'Charting' has been placed in the Libraries of the House in accordance with the answer of 24 February 2004, Official Report, column 343W.

Piracy

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the International Maritime Organisation about international action to combat piracy.

David Jamieson: The United Kingdom, as a permanent member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), has taken a leading role in addressing the issue of action to combat piracy. Over the past five years the United Kingdom has provided expert assistance in support of several IMO counter piracy missions and seminars to piracy 'hotspot' areas.
	The United Kingdom is in the process of implementing IMO requirements for all ships to have internationally agreed security measures in place by July 2004 which will help to protect them from piracy attacks.

Piracy

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what losses were incurred by (a) British-flagged and (b) British-managed ships owing to acts of piracy in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: There was no loss of life as a result of piracy attacks on the British Fleet from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 2003.
	During the same period, there were a total of 64 recorded piracy attacks on British registered ships.
	There are no available figures for British-managed ships.

Piracy

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the future trends of piracy against British vessels.

David Jamieson: The Department works closely with operators of British vessels, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, the International Maritime Bureau and with the International Maritime Organisation to ensure that trends of piracy are monitored and acted upon. This work is carried out in co-operation with IMO member states and the United Kingdom has played a leading role in providing expertise and other resources to help combat acts of piracy worldwide.

Piracy

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met representatives of (a) ship owners and (b) maritime trade unions to discuss piracy.

David Jamieson: The issue of piracy is regularly discussed by officials in the Department with representatives of the UK maritime industry and its trade bodies; in particular the Chamber of Shipping. This is done directly or under the auspices of the National Maritime Security Committee which meets bi-annually. Similarly, meetings are held with representatives of maritime trade unions the most recent of which was with representatives of NUMAST in September 2003.

Piracy

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed sea piracy with the Secretary of State for Defence.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State has regular meetings with his ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of issues relevant to the business of his Department. In addition, his officials are engaged in discussions on piracy with other Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and external bodies, including the International Maritime Organisation and the International Maritime Bureau.

Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Dartford

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he estimates that the costs of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Dartford will have been met through toll fees.

David Jamieson: The financial break-even date was met on 31 March 2002. The legislation governing the Dartford Crossing (which includes the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge) allowed for tolls to be charged for a year after the financial break-even date to help build up a maintenance fund for the Crossing.

Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Dartford

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the toll is to be removed from the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Dartford.

David Jamieson: The power to charge a toll for the use of the Dartford Crossing (which includes the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge) expired on 31 March 2003.
	Following a study and a public consultation, a road user charge under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000 was introduced on 1 April 2003 to help manage traffic at the Crossing.

Rail Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Strategic Rail Authority on improving the service on the Hastings to London line; what assessment he has made of the (a) punctuality and (b) frequency of trains departing stations south of Tunbridge Wells; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority is currently consulting widely on its proposals for the train specification for the new Integrated Kent Franchise, which includes the route between Hastings and London. The authority also monitors the performance of train operating companies. On 11 March the authority published its quarterly report—National Rail Trends—for the period October to December 2003, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Information is provided for the services of each operator in aggregate, not by specific routes.

Ships and Containers (Scanning)

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much (a) was spent in 2003–04 and (b) is planned to be spent in 2004–05 on improving the process of scanning of ships and containers upon their arrival in British ports;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on enhancing container security (a) in British ports and (b) on British ships since May 1997.

David Jamieson: My Department's Transport Security Directorate (Transec) is responsible for developing, overseeing the implementation of, and ensuring industry compliance with, Counter Terrorist security policy for the UK's major transport modes.
	However, in the UK the cost of meeting these security requirements falls to industry. The "user pays" principle has been maintained throughout the country's history of regulating transport security and costs are ultimately passed on to customers.
	It is not therefore, possible to give an indication of costs because they are not held centrally. However, as part of the implementation process of the IMO's new maritime security regime, Transec is conducting an Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will, when complete provide a broad picture of the costs associated with meeting the UK's new security requirements. The RIA will include consideration of the cost of enhancing the security of ports handling containers.

Speed Cameras

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in England and Wales; and how many are covered by the special schemes introduced in 2002 to facilitate investment in safety cameras.

David Jamieson: Information from the 35 Safety Camera Partnerships currently operating, covering 38 of the 43 police authorities in England and Wales, indicates that there are currently 5,040 fixed and mobile camera locations, of which 432 are for detecting motorists going through red traffic lights. This data is currently being audited.

Speed Cameras

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras (a) there are and (b) there have been in each of the last five years in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) West Derbyshire.

David Jamieson: The numbers of approved speed cameras sites operated by local Partnerships under the Safety Camera Programme for the areas covered by the Government Office for the East Midlands are as follows.
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(2) 
		
		
			 Derbyshire Prior to the area's joining the Programme 53 76 84 
			 Leicestershire Prior to the area's joining the Programme Prior to the area's joining the Programme 71 81 
			 Lincolnshire 36 37 56 54 
			 Northamptonshire 13 28 30 35 
			 Nottinghamshire(3) 15 16 52 52 
		
	
	(2) Figures up to the end of September 2003 (latest figures submitted)
	(3) Nottingham City in early years; Nottinghamshire latterly
	Note:
	All figures are as reported by the partnerships and include both fixed and mobile camera sites
	The numbers for West Derbyshire are included in those provided for Derbyshire.

Speed Cameras

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 1004W, on speed cameras, how much of the income generated by speed cameras in the Lancashire Safety Camera Partnership area in 2003–04 is returned to the partnership to cover the costs of their camera activity; and where the remainder of the income is spent.

David Jamieson: A maximum of £4.6 million of netted off fine receipts resulting from fixed penalties for speeding and red light offences has been approved to be passed to the Lancashire Safety Camera Partnership to cover the costs of its approved safety camera activity in 2003–04. The actual figure, which may be less but cannot be more, will be contained in the 2003–04 accounts. Any surplus of fixed penalties over the Partnership's approved expenditure is surrendered to the Consolidated Fund.

Speed Cameras

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the latest accounts of each safety camera partnership.

David Jamieson: Local authorities and police forces within individual safety camera partnerships make available for public scrutiny their accounts on an annual basis. These can be viewed by local arrangement.

Speed Cameras

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to improve the visibility of speed camera warning signs on the trunk road network.

David Jamieson: holding answer 26 March 2004
	The "Handbook of rules and guidance for the operation of the national road safety programme for England and Wales, October 2003", a copy of which is in the Library of the House, sets out the standards for signing, marking, visibility and conspicuity of safety cameras. The Handbook also requires Safety Camera Partnerships regularly to review camera sites, to ensure for example that cameras are not obscured by foliage growth. The types of signs that may be used are contained in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002. There are no current plans to alter these signing requirements. If there is a concern about the visibility of particular camera sites, the local Safety Camera Partnership would welcome comments.

Speed Cameras

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many static speed cameras there are in (a) North East Lincolnshire, (b) North Lincolnshire and (c) Lincolnshire.

David Jamieson: North East Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire fall within the Humberside Safety Camera Partnership which has no fixed safety camera sites. The Lincolnshire Safety Camera Partnership has 59 fixed speed camera sites.

Speed Cameras

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras were in operation in the United Kingdom in each year from 1998 to 2003.

David Jamieson: My Department holds information on speed cameras operated under the Speed Camera Programme for funding of approved cameras from fixed fine receipts, which began with seven Safety Camera Partnership areas in England and Wales in April 2000, increasing to 14 in 2001 and to 28 during 2002. The number of approved fixed speed camera locations for the three financial years is:
	
		
			 As at end of year Number of camera sites Number of Partnership areas  
		
		
			 2000–01 311 7 
			 2001–02 706 14 
			 2002–03 1,387 28 
		
	
	My Department plans shortly to publish information on the number of safety camera locations for all Safety Camera Partnerships in England and Wales together with collision and casualty information.
	Prior to the Safety Camera Programme, police and highway authorities have used cameras since 1991, under the Road Traffic Act 1991 and the Department of Transport Circular 1/92 'Use of technology for traffic enforcement: Guidance on deployment'. My Department does not hold information centrally on cameras which are not part of the Safety Camera Programme.

Tachograph Offences

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions for tachograph offences there were in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: The enforcement of drivers' hours and records legislation is carried out by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. Examiners check the tachograph equipment, tachograph charts and record books. The usual sanction imposed for any infringement of this legislation is that of prohibition. However prosecution action may also be instigated. The number of successful prosecutions for tachograph and drivers' hours offences is only available for the last seven years. Figures are shown in the table as follows:
	
		Successful Prosecutions for Tachograph Offences
		
			  2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 1999–00 1998–99 1997–98 1996–97 
		
		
			 HGV  
			 Tach/Records 5,253 4,999 6,279 7,027 5,579 5,233 4,708 
			 Drivers Hours 3,776 2,701 4,184 4,683 4,171 3,478 3,270 
			 PSV
			 Tach/Records 441 335 581 554 621 626 525 
			 Drivers Hours 284 317 389 417 244 338 274

Road Accidents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many powered two-wheeler users involved in road accidents were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured during 2003; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Data are not yet available for 2003. In 2002 there were 609 deaths and 6,891 serious injuries among two-wheeled motor vehicle users.

Telecommunications Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what information his Department has received from Network Rail on their plans to (a) lease and (b) sell telecommunication masts and base stations on their land to mobile phone operators;
	(2)  how many telecommunication masts have been erected on land owned by Network Rail since January 2002.

Tony McNulty: Network Rail is currently implementing a new safety system known as the Global System for Mobile Communications for Railways (GSM-R). GSM-R will, for the first time, provide a national system of secure and direct driver to signaller communication.
	Network Rail advises firstly, that it has no plans to commercially exploit GSM-R telecommunication masts; and secondly, that since January 2002 it has erected 188 masts, of which 176 have been installed on the West Coast Main Line as part of its modernisation.

Vehicle Inspectorate

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual expenditure of the former Vehicle Inspectorate was in each of the past 10 years up to 2003; what the expenditure of the vehicle inspectorate unit within the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency was in 2003; and what this unit's projected expenditure is in 2004.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) merged with the Traffic Area Network to become the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency on 1 April 2003. As a result, separate expenditure figures cannot be supplied for the VI Division in 200304, or its projected expenditure in 200405. The annual expenditure for the Vehicle Inspectorate prior to the merger is shown as follows:
	
		Annual expenditure: April 1993March 2003
		
			   
		
		
			 200203 100,803 
			 200102 89,046 
			 200001 74,614 
			 199900 64,924 
			 199899 58,474 
			 199798 53,870 
			 199697 50,718 
			 199596 49,348 
			 199495 52,493 
			 199394 49,422

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Community Legal Service

Wayne David: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have been helped by the Community Legal Service in (a) 200001, (b) 200102 and (c) 200203.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission is unable to answer the question in the format requested as its systems record the number of acts of assistance rather than the number of clients assisted, which is not necessarily reflective of the number of individuals involved. The total acts of assistance dealt with by the CLS were as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200001 1,137,000 
			 200102 1,005,000 
			 200203 1,017,000

Community Legal Service

Paul Goodman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much funding has been allocated in (a) 200405, (b) 200506 and (c) total to community legal service partnerships.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission, which administers the Community Legal Service, does not allocate funding centrally to Community Legal Service (CLS) Partnerships. However resources have been made available at a regional level to support specific partnership related projects.
	The future operation of the CLS Partnerships will be informed by the Independent Review of the CLS which is due to report in April 2004. It is therefore not appropriate to comment on the funding position for 200405 and 200506 until the final findings and recommendations of this evaluation have been fully considered.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department and its predecessor in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Christopher Leslie: The number of cases of computer misuse in my Department and its predecessor were as follows:
	
		
			 Category 1997 2003 
		
		
			 Games 1 1 
			 Personal use 6 3 
			 Unofficial business use 0 0 
			 Other 0 0 
			 Total 7 4 
		
	
	In each case disciplinary action has been taken in line with Departmental disciplinary procedures, which accord with the central framework set out in paragraph 4.5 of the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte  Touche, (c) Ernst  Young and (d) KPMG.

Christopher Leslie: The answer in respect of permissions requested since 2001 is none.

Emergency Protection Orders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications were heard for emergency protection orders in Greater London in the last year for which information is available, broken down by borough; what proportion were granted; how many were ex-parte applications; and what proportion of ex-parte applications were granted.

Christopher Leslie: The requested information is not collected in a manner that can be broken down by borough as it is collected at court level only. Provided in the table attached are the numbers of applications for emergency protection orders and orders made in the family proceedings courts in Greater London. There are no county courts in this region with the relevant jurisdiction as this work is dealt with by the Principal Registry of the Family Division, whose figures have been included for reference. No information is held centrally concerning those applications that were made ex-parte and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Emergency Protection Orders 2003
		
			 Family proceedings court/PRFD Applications made Orders made 
		
		
			 Barnet 13 13 
			 Bexley 9 5 
			 Bromley 9 9 
			 Croydon 21 16 
			 Ealing 20 11 
			 Haringey 48 44 
			 Harrow 23 23 
			 Havering 12 11 
			 Hounslow (Feltham) 21 21 
			 Inner London Family Proceedings Court 290 253 
			 Kingston-on-Thames 0 0 
			 Redbridge 9 7 
			 Richmond-on-Thames 4 4 
			 South East Suffolk 12 12 
			 South West Surrey 18 18 
			 Uxbridge 28 27 
			 Willesden 24 21 
			 Wimbledon 10 10 
			 Principal Registry of the Family Division 131 29

Legal Services Review

Wayne David: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the findings of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services regarding the level of solicitor involvement in the provision of publicly funded legal services since the introduction of the Community Legal Service.

David Lammy: I am considering the first phase of the report on solicitors and will shortly receive the second phase on barristers. When I have both phases I will make a statement which will set out the significance of the reviews for Government policy. It would be premature to make a statement without both phases of the review. We have made available the first phase of the review to the Select Committee on Constitutional Affairs as evidence for its study into advice deserts.

Legal Services Review

Wayne David: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services.

David Lammy: The report of the solicitor phase of the review was received in December 2003. We expect the barristers' section shortly. I am considering the recommendations carefully and will make a statement when I have both phases of the review.

Legal Services Review

Wayne David: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will publish the findings of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services.

David Lammy: I will publish the findings of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing Arrangement for Legal Services when both phases complete and a copy of the report will be placed in the Library.

Lord Chancellor

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the rules preventing former Lord Chancellors from returning to practise law are to be waived in the case of the present incumbent.

Christopher Leslie: No. I refer my hon. Friend to the Prime Minister's written answer to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) of 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 792W.

Lord Chancellor

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reasons former Lord Chancellors are prohibited from practising law; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: By convention, judges have not returned to practice after retirement (and this is now included in judicial terms of appointment). The convention ensures the integrity and impartiality of the justice system. This convention has also been adhered to by former Lord Chancellors given their judicial status and role in the administration of justice. The rules, set out in the Ministerial Code, relating to the acceptance of appointments after leaving ministerial office, also apply.

Munby Judgment, November 2001

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the ruling of November 2001 by Mr. Justice Munby.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	In R(L and others) and R(R and anon) v. Manchester City Council, Mr. Justice Munby found that Manchester City Council's policy on payment to relatives and friends as carers breached Articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
	The impact of the judgment is that local authority policies need to demonstrate that payment differences relate to the child's needs or the skills of the carer or some other relevant factor that is used as a basis for an authority wide policy.

Secondments

Jim Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte  Touche, (c) Ernst  Young and (d) KPMG have made to the Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from the Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks.

Christopher Leslie: Since 2001 there have been two secondments to the Department from Deloitte  Touche. Both worked in the Business Support Office (BSO) in the Department's headquarters. The BSO was set up to support the introduction of programme and project work in Policy Group. Their roles contained both development work (setting up the Business Support Office and defining its roles and responsibilities) and supporting work underway in Policy Group. Their appointments were effective from 29 October 2001 until the end of July 2002.
	Since 2001 there have been no secondments of staff from the Department to any of the companies specified.

Wrongful Convictions

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many convictions have been found by the Court of Appeal to be wrongful in each of the last five years; and how much compensation has been paid in respect of such convictions.

Christopher Leslie: Figures for the number of convictions found by the Court of Appeal to be wrongful in each of the last five years are provided in Table 1. The figures provided by the Home Office in Table 2 do not identify the amount of compensation awards to successful appellants as they also include payments made under the Home Secretary ex-gratia scheme for wrongful conviction and/or charge.
	
		Table 1: Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Convictions Overturned
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 290 
			 1999 171 
			 2000 150 
			 2001 135 
			 2002 166 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Compensation paid under ss133 Criminal Justice Act 1988 or the Home Secretary's ex-gratia scheme for wrongful conviction and/or charge
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199899 5.302 
			 19992000 5.647 
			 200001 8.051 
			 200102 6.172 
			 200203 8.120

NORTHERN IRELAND

Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new cancer diagnoses were made for teenagers and young adults in the 13 to 24 years age range in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The following table shows the annual incidence of cancer in teenagers and young adults (aged 13 to 24 years) in Northern Ireland in the last five years for which accurate cancer registration figures are available.
	
		Cancers diagnosed
		
			 Ages 1324 Number 
		
		
			 1997 64 
			 1998 72 
			 1999 80 
			 2000 68 
			 2001 70

Census 2001

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many households in Northern Ireland contain two or more persons, excluding students, who do not see themselves as a couple, according to the 2001 Census; how many people there are in such households; how many people there are in such households where both are pensioners; and how many people he estimates there are in such households who are related.

Ian Pearson: According to the 2001 Census, there are 69,754 households in Northern Ireland containing two or more persons who are not full-time students, where none of the people in the household see themselves as living in a married or co-habiting couple.
	These 69,754 households contain 190,583 people of whom:
	(i) 9,127 are living in All Pensioner households; and
	(ii) 176,813 are related to another member of the household.

Census 2001

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many same-sex households there are in Northern Ireland according to the 2001 Census.

Ian Pearson: According to the 2001 Census, there are 288 households in Northern Ireland containing couples of the same-sex who indicated they are living as partners.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last seven years, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Ian Pearson: Within the 11 Departments of the formally devolved Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office, there have been a total of 866 cases of computer misuse reported over the last seven years, with disciplinary action having been taken in 688 of those cases.
	Cases where misuse falls into more than one category have been broken down and counted separately. The breakdown by year and category is as follows.
	
		
			 Category 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 Total 
		
		
			 Use of inappropriate or offensive material(4) 1 0 1 31 25 153 219 430 
			 Using unlicensed software, forging e-mail addresses 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 5 
			 Using e-mail facilities for personal use without permission 0 0 0 0 0 13 12 25 
			 Unreasonable extensive personal use 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 
			 Unauthorised access to customer accounts 0 1 4 1 3 2 11 22 
			 General misuse of a minor nature (games, using unofficial screensavers) 0 0 0 0 12 280 88 380 
			 Total 1 1 5 33 40 454 332 866 
		
	
	(4) Viewing, creating, distributing, storing or downloading inappropriate or offensive material that could bring the department into disrepute or expose it to legal action.

Invest Northern Ireland

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions since April 2002 Invest Northern Ireland has taken equity in companies in Northern Ireland; and what the value is of equity taken by Invest Northern Ireland in companies in Northern Ireland since April 2002.

Ian Pearson: Invest NI has taken equity investments in 38 companies since April 2002, these investments cost Invest NI 14.5 million.

Police Recruitment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applicants have commenced their courses since recruitment for the Police Service of Northern Ireland began; and how many have completed their training.

Jane Kennedy: A total of 1,202 candidates have been appointed up to and including 14 March 2004 with 946 student officers attested as at 19 March 2004.
	There are currently four separate intake groups undergoing the training prior to attestation.

Police Recruitment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, column 583W, on police, how many recruits (a) dropped out of their training, (b) proved unsuitable and (c) did not take up their places.

Jane Kennedy: I have been advised that as at 1 March 2004 and in total (a) 22 student officers resigned (b) 10 were dismissed and two were suspended and (c) 33 chose not take up their places.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Asylum-seeking Children

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been under the care of the London Borough of Hounslow since 1998; and how many in that time left care having reached 18 years of age.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 March 2004
	Information on unaccompanied asylum seeking children being 'looked after' (within the meaning of the Children Act 1989) by local authorities was collected for the first time in 2002. On 31 March 2002, there were 15 children (rounded to the nearest five) under the age of 18 years looked after by London Borough of Hounslow. 2003 data will be available at the end of March 2004.

Careers Service

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on the provision of a careers service for young people; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 5 March 2004
	Responsibility for providing young people with the advice and support they need to make informed learning and career choices is shared between Connexions and schools. Schools provide the underpinning skills young people need to investigate options and manage transitions through learning into work, through a planned programme of careers education in years nine-11 (to be extended to years seven and eight from September 2004). This is complemented by support from Connexions at key decision-making and transition points. All young people aged 1319 have access to Connexions, with the level of support provided in each individual case being differentiated according to need.
	In order to assure ourselves that the current arrangements are robustin particular in light of changes to the 1419 phase of education announced in January last yearwe have initiated a review of careers education and guidance which will report in Summer 2004.

Child Care

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list by local authority area how many children are (a) aged under five years old and (b) aged under eight years, and the number of registered child care places.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is shown in the table. Statistics on the number of childcare places registered in England were published on 19 February 2004 in a report by OfSTED Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 31 December 2003. The report is available on the OfSTED website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.
	
		Number of children(5) aged under five and eight years old and the number of registered childcare places(6) , (7) , (8)
		
			 LEA name Children aged under five years old Children aged under eight years old Number of registered childcare places 
		
		
			 England 2,863,700 4,688,500 1,392,800 
			 
			 North East 134,000 223,700 58,800 
			 Hartlepool 5,100 8,700 2,100 
			 Middlesbrough 8,000 13,300 4,700 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 7,300 12,400 2,800 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 10,100 16,900 4,400 
			 Darlington 5,600 9,300 3,400 
			 Durham 25,200 42,300 9,800 
			 Northumberland 15,500 26,000 8,100 
			 Gateshead 10,500 17,200 4,000 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 13,900 22,600 7,100 
			 North Tyneside 10,100 16,800 4,400 
			 South Tyneside 8,000 13,600 3,900 
			 Sunderland 14,700 24,600 4,100 
			 
			 North West 384,800 636,900 195,700 
			 Halton 7,100 11,500 4,000 
			 Warrington 11,400 18,700 8,300 
			 Cheshire 36,700 61,400 23,500 
			 Cumbria 24,400 41,100 11,100 
			 Bolton 16,200 26,700 7,700 
			 Bury 10,900 18,000 7,300 
			 Manchester 25,400 40,600 12,900 
			 Oldham 15,000 24,200 7,400 
			 Rochdale 13,300 21,800 6,800 
			 Salford 12,100 19,900 6,200 
			 Stockport 15,800 26,300 7,900 
			 Tameside 12,500 20,700 6,300 
			 Trafford 11,900 19,300 8,400 
			 Wigan 17,000 28,300 7,800 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 10,400 17,000 4,100 
			 Blackpool 7,400 12,400 4,000 
			 Lancashire 63,300 105,200 31,000 
			 Knowsley 9,000 15,100 3,500 
			 Liverpool 24,000 39,200 9,600 
			 St. Helens 9,800 16,500 3,800 
			 Sefton 14,200 24,500 5,300 
			 Wirral 17,000 28,500 8,800 
			 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 285,300 471,800 120,800 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 15,800 26,700 8,400 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 14,200 23,900 4,700 
			 North East Lincolnshire 9,200 15,500 2,800 
			 North Lincolnshire 8,500 14,200 3,200 
			 York 9,100 14,800 5,300 
			 North Yorkshire 29,100 49,100 17,900 
			 Barnsley 12,100 20,500 3,500 
			 Doncaster 16,600 27,400 4,900 
			 Rotherham 14,600 24,200 4,700 
			 Sheffield 28,300 46,600 12,900 
			 Bradford 33,600 53,700 10,800 
			 Calderdale 11,800 19,400 6,500 
			 Kirklees 25,100 40,900 11,000 
			 Leeds 39,700 65,600 19,200 
			 Wakefield 17,600 29,300 5,000 
			 
			 East Midlands 234,600 388,500 121,000 
			 Derby 13,500 21,900 6,800 
			 Derbyshire 39,600 66,500 17,400 
			 Leicester City 18,900 30,200 8,400 
			 Rutland 1,800 3,000 1,200 
			 Leicestershire 33,800 55,900 20,000 
			 Lincolnshire 33,500 56,400 18,600 
			 Northamptonshire 38,600 63,200 19,000 
			 Nottingham 15,000 24,200 7700 
			 Nottinghamshire 39,900 67,200 21,900 
			 
			 West Midlands 312,300 513,200 151,800 
			 Herefordshire 9,200 15,400 5,800 
			 Worcestershire 29,600 49,300 18,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 10,200 16,800 5,600 
			 Shropshire 14,700 24,700 8,500 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 13,400 21,800 5,700 
			 Staffordshire 43,600 72,500 25,800 
			 Warwickshire 28,200 46,700 16,000 
			 Birmingham 69,300 111,000 28,100 
			 Coventry 18,300 29,900 8,500 
			 Dudley 17,100 28,400 6,200 
			 Sandwell 17,900 29,200 5,600 
			 Solihull 10,900 18,600 7,000 
			 Walsall 16,100 26,300 5,200 
			 Wolverhampton 13,800 22,600 5,800 
			 
			 East of England 315,300 518,000 156,800 
			 Luton 13,200 21,100 4,000 
			 Bedfordshire 24,000 39,100 12,300 
			 Peterborough 10,100 16,600 6,600 
			 Cambridgeshire 31,800 51,900 20,000 
			 Southend-on-Sea 9,500 15,600 4,100 
			 Thurrock 9,800 15,700 3,500 
			 Essex 75,800 124,800 33,900 
			 Hertfordshire 63,900 104,100 34,600 
			 Norfolk 39,900 66,900 20,100 
			 Suffolk 37,300 62,200 17,700 
			 
			 London 472,400 742,800 182,500 
			 
			 Inner London 189,500 290,200 69,200 
			 City of London 300 400 400 
			 Camden 12,100 18,500 5,100 
			 Hackney 16,900 25,500 3,800 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10,300 15,500 3,600 
			 Haringey 14,800 23,000 3,900 
			 Islington 10,900 16,800 5,100 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 10,000 15,000 4,200 
			 Lambeth 17,800 27,200 6,400 
			 Lewisham 17,300 27,000 6,300 
			 Newham 20,400 32,300 5,500 
			 Southwark 17,100 26,600 7,600 
			 Tower Hamlets 15,300 23,500 3,800 
			 Wandsworth 16,400 24,500 9,500 
			 Westminster 9,900 14,400 4,000 
			 
			 Outer London 282,900 452,600 113,300 
			 Barking and Dagenham 12,300 19,900 3,100 
			 Barnet 20,100 32,300 8,000 
			 Bexley 13,000 21,400 5,100 
			 Brent 16,300 25,600 5,700 
			 Bromley 18,200 29,200 9,100 
			 Croydon 21,900 35,600 9,500 
			 Baling 18,800 29,700 7,800 
			 Enfield 18,100 29,000 6,100 
			 Greenwich 15,500 24,100 6,200 
			 Harrow 12,000 19,500 4,900 
			 Havering 12,200 20,600 4,600 
			 Hillingdon 15,600 25,500 6,300 
			 Hounslow 13,900 21,800 4,500 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 9,100 14,300 4,400 
			 Merton 12,300 19,200 5,200 
			 Redbridge 15,400 25,000 5,400 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 11,800 17,900 6,400 
			 Sutton 11,200 18,200 4,500 
			 Waltham Forest 15,200 23,800 6,500 
			 
			 South East 462,000 757,400 261,900 
			 Bracknell Forest 7,300 11,900 4,400 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 8,100 12,900 5,200 
			 West Berkshire 8,600 14,100 5,600 
			 Reading 8,600 13,600 5,200 
			 Slough 8,100 13,000 2,300 
			 Wokingham 8,900 14,600 6,300 
			 Milton Keynes 14,200 23,000 8,300 
			 Buckinghamshire 30,000 48,600 17,200 
			 Brighton and Hove 12,900 20,500 7,100 
			 East Sussex 25,700 42,900 14,100 
			 Portsmouth 10,700 17,100 6,600 
			 Southampton 11,700 19,100 6,800 
			 Hampshire 70,400 116,600 42,200 
			 Isle of Wight 6,200 10,700 3,400 
			 Medway 15,800 26,100 7,900 
			 Kent 76,900 127,600 38,300 
			 Oxfordshire 35,000 56,600 22,100 
			 Surrey 61,500 100,200 36,500 
			 West Sussex 41,400 68,300 22,400 
			 
			 South West 263,000 436,200 143,500 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 8,800 14,300 4,500 
			 Bristol, City of 22,700 35,700 10,100 
			 North Somerset 10,300 17,100 4,900 
			 South Gloucestershire 14,700 24,500 7,700 
			 Cornwall 25,600 42,600 12,200 
			 Isles of Scilly 100 200 100 
			 Torbay 6,000 10,300 2,400 
			 Plymouth 12,800 21,100 6,500 
			 Devon 33,900 57,600 20,000 
			 Bournemouth 8,000 13,100 4,600 
			 Poole 6,900 11,500 3,200 
			 Dorset 18,100 30,900 9,000 
			 Gloucestershire 31,600 52,100 20,500 
			 Somerset 26,500 44,200 15,900 
			 Swindon 11,000 18,100 6,700 
			 Wiltshire 26,000 42,900 15,200 
		
	
	(5) Mid year estimates 2002.
	(6) Registered places are not the number of places occupied, nor the number of children who may benefit from receiving places through providers offering sessions at different times of the day. The number of registered places is likely to be higher than the actual number of registered places as not all providers will immediately inform Ofsted that they have ceased their provision. For about 7 per cent. of providers, the database does not hold the number of registered places. In these cases, the number of places has been estimated and included in the figures shown.
	(7) Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Due to rounding, data may differ from that published by Ofsted.
	(8) Includes childminders, full day care and sessional day care, out of school care and crches.

Child Care

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to register sitting services as accredited child care providers.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 18 March 2004
	Sitter services are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in Scotland, and we are actively investigating the role they could play in England. We believe they can be very useful as a means of enabling parents, especially lone parents, to work atypical hours, and for providing parents of disabled children with child care in their home or with respite care. In particular, using a sitter service to provide home-based child care removes the need for the parent to act as employer. The availability of such a service could also make it much easier for 24 hour service sector employers to recruit and retain employees.
	Currently, sitter services do not have to be registered under the Children Act. However, as announced in the Budget, we shall be consulting in the early summer on extending the scope of accredited child care through a new light touch voluntary scheme, to be implemented by April 2005. Accreditation would enable eligible parents to gain working tax credit support for their child care costs, such support currently not being available for users of sitter services. Child care carried out in the parents' home will be considered as part of this consultation.

Child Care

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the (a) availability and (b) affordability of quality child care.

Margaret Hodge: The National Childcare Strategy was established in 1998 to ensure that accessible, affordable and quality child care for children up to the age of 14, and 16 for those with special needs, is available in every area.
	We have funded a substantial expansion in child care provision of the public, private and voluntary sectors, with a wide variety of types of child carenurseries, childminders, before and after school provision increasingly delivered alongside early education and other family servicesto ensure diversity and choice for parents. To ensure quality National Standards for Under Eights day care and child minding were introduced from September 2001. They set a national benchmark below which no provider may fall. Responsibility for registration and inspection transferred from local authorities to the Early Years Directorate of Ofsted at that time.
	By December 2003, more than 920,000 new child care places had been created since 1997, benefiting over 1.6 million children. This means that we have met our target of creating new places for 1.6 million children by March 2004, and are on track to create places for over 2 million by 2006.
	At January 2004, 300,000 lower and middle income families were benefiting from the child care element of the new working tax credit, 120,000 more than benefited under the previous arrangements through working families tax creditand over six times as many as the 47,000 who benefited from the child care disregard under the previous administration's family credit.

Child Poverty

Barbara Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020, (b) halving it by 2010 and (c) reducing it by a quarter by 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1590W.

Connexions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines are given to Connexions partnerships designed to allow national voluntary and community sector organisations to work efficiently with all partnerships.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Education and Skills has, in consultation with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), developed a range of guidance for Connexions Partnerships on working with the VCS.
	In addition a limited amount of funding has been given to 88 national voluntary youth organisations to help them build capacity to effectively engage with Connexions.

Connexions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress Connexions partnerships have made towards the targets set out in Youth Support Services for 13 to 19 year olds: A Vision for 2006 in (a) providing a vibrant high quality youth service, (b) making many more young people active citizens, (c) engaging many more young people in developmental activities and (d) ensuring that parents, carers and teachers are supportive of Connexions.

Margaret Hodge: Connexions partnerships are working successfully to meet Youth Support Services for 13 to 19 year olds: A Vision for 2006. Of the 13 Connexions partnerships on which Ofsted has so far reported, one was judged very good, eight good, one satisfactory and three unsatisfactory. Youth services have made encouraging progress in implementing the Transforming Youth Work modernisation programme. Connexions partnerships are actively involving young people in the governance, design, delivery and evaluation of the Connexions Service; and in promoting active citizenship and personal development through Millennium Volunteers, the Neighbourhood Support Fund and activity-based programmes. The Connexions Customer Satisfaction Survey shows that 91 per cent. of respondents were very or fairly satisfied with the service. Connexions Personal Advisers are working with young people to engage parents, carers and teachers, supported by a guidance leaflet.

Contact Centres

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will announce the allocation of funds to new contact centres following the publication of Making Contact Work.

Margaret Hodge: I announced on 19 March that 3.5 million was being made available to March 2006, from a DfES/Sure Start Joint Investment Fund, for child contact services. Just under 2.3 million of this money will fund 14 new supervised child contact centres. 130,000 is being made available to Coram Family to provide high quality training to the new centres; 200,000 will provide continued funding for the NCH Contact Matters Pilot Project in Durham; 387,000 will fund the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) Change Programme whereby it moves its membership from affiliated to accredited status; and 75,000 is being set aside for research into child contact services. We are also making 430,000 available for a 'Sustainability Fund' to support, over the next two years, existing NACCC-member child contact centres in England. The funding will be administered by NACCC and details about how to apply will be announced in July at NACCC's Annual Conference.

E-universities

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made with the e-university project; how much money has been allocated to the project in each financial year since 200001; how the project is being co-ordinated; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The e-universities project has been overseen from the outset by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in partnership with other funding bodies and the UK higher education sector. HEFCE arranged for public investment in an Operating Company, UK eUniversities Worldwide (UKeU) to be handled by a Holding Company (the eLearning Holding Company Ltd.) which is owned collectively by the higher education sector. The Government has provided 62 million to HEFCE for the e-universities project and I understand that HEFCE has passed on 32.6 million to date to the Holding Company for investment in UKeU. By year, this breaks down as: 200102, 12.8 million; 200203, 15.7 million; 200304, 4.1 million. In addition, HEFCE has allocated 7 million to public good activities connected with online learning, including the eChina project and the establishment of a new e-Learning research centre. HEFCE is currently holding restructuring discussions with the boards of UKeU and the Holding Company to consider the future business direction and structure of UKeU in order to identify the best way forward to secure value from the venture for the higher education sector.

Early Years Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the representations he has received from the National Day Nurseries Association on the financial viability of the operation of the nursery education grant scheme for three and four-year-olds by private providers; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: We have not received any specific representations from NDNA on this issue. The Nursery Education Grant scheme ended in March 2003. With effect from April 2003, all funding for free early education places, including those delivered by private providers, was consolidated within the general Education Formula Spending (EFS) arrangements.

Early Years Development

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school places were available in each year since 1997 in (a) the state sector and (b) the private sector.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in England are shown in the table.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providersEngland19972003 -- Position in January each year
		
			  Three-year-olds Four-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(9) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(10) Maintained nursery and primary schools(11) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(12) Total four-year-olds(13) 
		
		
			 1997 214,200 (14) (14) (14) 576,200 
			 1998 222,000 (14) (14) (14) 591,500 
			 1999 225,700 (14) (14) (14) 593,800 
			 2000 229,900 40,300 (14) (14) 598,500 
			 2001 226,600 108,800 (14) (14) 589,300 
			 2002 223,500 184,700 477,700 106,800 584,500 
			 2003 218,700 226,100 472,200 107,100 579,300 
		
	
	(9) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(10) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data.
	(11) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(12) Information for 2002 was derived from the Nursery Education Grant exercise and information for 2003 from the Early Years Supplementary data collection exercise.
	(13) Information prior to 2002 was derived from the Nursery Education Grant exercise. Information for 2002 combines two sources of information, the Annual Schools' Census and the Nursery Education Grant exercise. Information for 2003 combines Annual Schools' Census and the Early Years Supplementary data collection exercise.
	(14) Not available.
	The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.

Early Years Development

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school child care places have been created in deprived areas in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Separate information on child care growth in disadvantaged wards has been collected centrally only from April 2003. Between April and December 2003, the latest available data, 12,800 new child care places were created in pre-school groups located in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England. During the same period 2,500 group child care places closed in these wards, so that the stock of group child care places rose by some 10,300 places. Information on child minder places is not broken down by the age of the child. Between April and December 2003, 12,100 places with child minders opened in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England and 6,100 such places closed, so that the stock of child minder places in these wards rose by some 6,000 places.

Early Years Development

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the overall operating and running costs, including employee salaries, of each Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership in each local education authority were, in each year since 1998.

Margaret Hodge: It has been the responsibility of the local authority to convene an Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership within guidelines set out in the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership Planning Guidance 20012002 published by the then Department for Education and Employment in 2001. The costs of establishing and running those partnerships were not set by Government.

Education Funding

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average Government investment per student within (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) higher and (d) further education was in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 10 March 2004
	The available information on funding per pupil or per student is shown in the table.
	
		Funding per full-time equivalent pupil/student -- 
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102(15) 200203(16) 
		
		
			 Unit funding per FTE pupil  
			 Primary (aged 310) 2,420 2,570 2,770 2,930 3,010 
			 Secondary (aged 1115) 3,260 3,370 3,620 3,810 3,900 
			 Unit funding per FTE student  
			 Further education (total funding) 3,420 3,650 3,850 4,000 4,020 
			 Higher education 5,200 5,190 5,130 5,170 5,170 
		
	
	(15) Provisional figure (FE)
	(16) Planned/provisional figures
	Note:
	Figures are in real terms adjusted to 200203 prices using June 2003 GDP deflators.
	The FE and HE figures are consistent with those published in the Statistics of Education, Education and Training Expenditure since 199394; Statistical Bulletin (04/03). The primary and secondary figures differ from those in the bulletin in that they only include funding which can be apportioned to those sectors.
	The basis of the figures in each case is set out in the Expenditure Bulletin. Next month, our departmental report for 2004 will be published and this will include updated tables for the unit funding for the schools, further and higher education sectors.

Further Education Colleges

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to discuss with the Learning and Skills Councils guidelines for dealing with further education colleges withdrawing provision in their areas.

Alan Johnson: Local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) work with providers to develop provision that meets the needs of learners, employers and the local community. This is part of the LSC's planning process. As part of this process, local LSC-led Strategic Area Reviews are taking place across the country to assess the pattern of provision in every local area and consider how it should be planned to ensure that local needs and priorities are met. Guidance on these reviews is set out in the LSC Circular 03/06Strategic Area Reviews. A copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	In addition, officials from the Department, the LSC and the Association of Colleges will be considering jointly whether further guidance is needed on the respective roles, responsibilities and powers of the Department, National and local LSCs and colleges in the relation to the provision of education and training post-16 in a local area, including decisions about reshaping or withdrawing it.

Further Education Colleges

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students leaving each further education college in London in each of the last five years left without a qualification.

Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the Council's Chief Executive will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Kids Club Network (Funding)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government funding has been provided to the Kids' Club Network 4 Children, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Margaret Hodge: Over the past three years, 4 Children formerly Kids' Clubs Network has received the following funding:
	
		(000)
		
			  Department for Education and Skills Phoenix Fund (DTI) 
		
		
			 To 31 March 2001 303,144 22,700 
			 To 31 March 2002 593,260 48,546 
			 To 31 March 2003 1,031,124 39,810 
			 Sport England income 
			 200001 30,000  
			 200102 66,504  
			 200203 128,118  
		
	
	4 Children was also responsible for administering payments totalling an additional 1,028,344 on behalf of Sport England in 20012002.
	
		Department of Health
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200001 0 
			 200102 30,000 
			 200203 0

Local Government Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he gives to local education authorities on the sources of funds or budgets they should use to make up for the cut in the Standards Fund in order to continue school drug adviser posts; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The cessation of the Standards Fund Grant for drug prevention was announced in December 2002. Since then, the Department has advised local education authorities (LEAs) and schools to fund support for drug education out of the total resources available to them. It is up to individual LEAs to decide whether this support includes the provision of school drug advisors.

Mature Students

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students in (a) the North East of England, (b) England and Wales and (c) UK universities have been mature students in each of the last 15 years.

Alan Johnson: The proportions of undergraduate enrolments from mature students are given in the table.
	
		Proportion of undergraduate enrolments who were mature students by location of HE institution
		
			  Percentage 
			 Academic Year North East(17) , (18) England and Wales(17) GB 
		
		
			 198889 (19) n/a 56 
			 198990 (19) n/a 56 
			 199091 (19) n/a 56 
			 199192 (19) n/a 56 
			 199293 (19) n/a 57 
			 199394 (19) n/a 58 
			 199495 52 61 60 
			 199596 55 63 62 
			 199697 57 63 62 
			 199798 55 62 61 
			 199899 53 61 60 
			 19992000 53 60 59 
			 200001 55 60 59 
			 200102 54 60 60 
			 200203 55 61 60 
		
	
	(17) Data are not available for English and Welsh institutions and North East Institutions for years prior to 199394
	(18) Figures for North East institutions for 199495 and 199596 do not include those studying HE in FE institutions as the data is not available.
	(19) Not available
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency, Learning Skills Council, Universities Statistical Record.

Mature Students

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will rank universities by their proportion of mature students in (a) the North East of England, (b) England and Wales and (c) the UK.

Alan Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

National Childcare Strategy (Burton)

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have benefited from the National Childcare Strategy in the Burton constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of new childcare places created in an individual constituency is available only from 1999. Staffordshire local authority reported that between April 1999 and December 2003, the latest date for which information is currently available, 1,498 new childcare places opened in Burton constituency. A place typically helps more than one child, as not all children take up places full-time, and we estimate these places will help some 2,800 children. During the same period, Staffordshire reported that 315 childcare places closed in Burton, so that the stock of childcare places rose by 1,183 helping some 2,300 children.

Pre-school Education (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free (a) nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Crosby in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year olds in Sefton local education authority area are shown in the table.
	The latest figures on provision for three and four year olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsqateway/.
	By April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three year olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
	
		Number of free nursery education places 1  ,  2  ,  3 taken up by three and four year old children Sefton Local Education Authority area -- 19972003Position in January each year
		
			  Three year olds Four year olds 
		
		
			 1997 2,100 3,200 
			 1998 2,000 3,300 
			 1999 2,100 3,200 
			 2000 2,400 3,100 
			 2001 2,900 3,200 
			 2002 2,700 3,200 
			 2003 2,700 3,000 
		
	
	1. Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year old children.
	2. A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for thirty-three weeks of the year, usually three terms of eleven weeks.
	3. Maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers.

School Playing Fields

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will strengthen the guidance on the disposal of playing fields; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced on 1 October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields that occurred in the 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During this time there was widespread concern at the unrestricted sale of school playing fields. If a local authority wanted to sell a school playing field there was nothing to stop it and it could spend the proceeds as it wished. Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools now need the Secretary of State's consent before they can dispose of a playing field or any part of a playing field. Applications to sell school playing fields are only approved where it is clear that they meet the needs of local schools and their communities and that any proceeds are used to improve school sports provision or education facilities. We are continuing to keep the guidance, which was last revised in July 2001, under review.

Science Strategy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to enhance science in his Department since the publication of the Government's science strategy Investing in Innovation.

Alan Johnson: The Department is committed to undertaking and using the results of science to help it achieve its objectives as set out in the Department's statement in the Forward Look of Government Funded Science, Engineering and Technology2003. Funding for research specifically will increase from 9.1m in 20034 to 16.2m in 20045.
	The Department remains committed to the use of social researchers, economists and statisticians to advise in the development, delivery and evaluation of education and skills policies and they are also deployed as intelligent customers for research commissioned from the wider research community. We have made substantial progress for improving the impact of science on policy.
	To this end the Department has recently implemented a new process for the identification and prioritisation of research, involving senior policy makers within the Department and external experts to enhance the transfer of knowledge.

Special Educational Needs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what budget for special education needs provision has been allocated to mainstream schools in Stroud for pupils with moderate learning difficulties since the announcement to close Bownham Park special school.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the funding by local education authorities to individual schools for particular types of special educational need is not collected centrally.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of educating children with special educational needs is for (a) each local education authority and (b) England for 200304; what the proportion of total education spending is planned to be spent on special educational needs in that year; and what proportion of the school age population has special educational needs.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 March 2004
	In 2003, 17 per cent. of pupils were recorded as having special educational needs. The rest of the information requested is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.

Special Educational Needs

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost is of providing special needs education in (a) mainstream and (b) special schools in (i) Greater London and (ii) each London borough in 200304; and what percentage this forms of the total education budget of (A) Greater London and (B) each London borough.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained within the following table.
	
		Total estimated gross expenditure on providing special needs education in mainstream and special schools in Greater London for 200304
		
			  SEN element of schools budget, Primary and Secondary Special SEN element of LEA budget Total 
		
		
			 Inner London: 
			 City of London 85,457 151,500 24,600 261,557 
			 Camden 9,306,831 5,785,007 2,073,632 17,165,470 
			 Hackney 10,423,357 6,885,300 1,207,140 18,515,797 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,666,562 6,758,033 990,136 10,414,731 
			 Islington 7,610,363 7,690,423 1,117,401 16,418,187 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,388,011 4,717,502 899,021 8,004,534 
			 Lambeth 11,966,109 10,160,086 1,299,930 23,426,125 
			 Lewisham 11,808,532 11,663,560 914,614 24,386,706 
			 Southwark 11,185,865 8,286,900 2,471,458 21,944,223 
			 Tower Hamlets 14,995,771 9,267,744 1,879,129 26,142,644 
			 Wandsworth 6,981,744 16,817,777 1,494,927 25,294,448 
			 Westminster 6,892,838 1,824,000 1,292,800 10,009,638 
			 Haringey 9,106,910 11,155,544 2,456,282 22,718,736 
			 Newham 20,854,525 5,015,471 1,766,800 27,636,796 
			 Inner London total 126,272,875 106,178,847 19,887,870 252,339,592 
			  
			 Outer London: 
			 Greenwich 9,258,759 11,681,280 2,625,952 23,565,991 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5,418,470 5,283,102 1,038,157 11,739,729 
			 Barnet 16,459,686 12,124,990 2,051,850 30,636,526 
			 Bexley 10,607,857 8,531,000 1,151,000 20,289,857 
			 Brent 7,847,819 8,641,000 1,658,000 18,146,819 
			 Bromley 10,662,688 10,683,854 1,324,771 22,671,313 
			 Croydon 9,466,437 14,212,729 1,671,706 25,350,872 
			 Ealing 9,004,219 10,946,500 1,766,200 21,716,919 
			 Enfield 8,835,435 10,834,544 2,215,038 21,885,017 
			 Harrow 10,200,223 3,774,539 1,239,907 15,214,669 
			 Havering 5,306,647 4,209,403 1,125,373 10,641,423 
			 Hillingdon 8,273,736 11,187,386 1,490,299 20,951,421 
			 Hounslow 9,421,100 8,693,654 1,503,933 19,618,687 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,493,785 5,160,538 1,051,638 10,705,961 
			 Merton 6,470,177 5,270,389 1,054,387 12,794,953 
			 Redbridge 4,745,086 9,649,111 2,041,380 16,435,577 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 4,670,219 4,291,500 837,100 9,798,819 
			 Sutton 8,479,612 6,570,501 1,146,591 16,196,704 
			 Waltham Forest 6,593,986 14,293,017 497,728 21,384,731 
			 Outer London 156,215,940 166,039,037 27,491,010 349,745,987 
			  
			 Greater London 282,488,815 272,217,884 47,378,880 602,085,579 
		
	
	
		
			Percentage of total education revenue expenditure to be spent on special educational needs 
			  Total education revenue expenditure Primary and Secondary Special SEN element of LEA budget Total 
		
		
			 Inner London:  
			 City of London 3,606,300 2 4 1 7 
			 Camden 143,819,230 6 4 1 12 
			 Hackney 153,423,350 7 4 1 12 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 101,251,393 3 7 1 10 
			 Islington 145,931,890 5 5 1 11 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 75,370,041 3 6 1 11 
			 Lambeth 181,184,491 7 6 1 13 
			 Lewisham 199,391,026 6 6 0 12 
			 Southwark 193,491,728 6 4 1 11 
			 Tower Hamlets 222,925,454 7 4 1 12 
			 Wandsworth 149,860,841 5 11 1 17 
			 Westminster 118,531,901 6 2 1 8 
			 Haringey 173,403,357 5 6 1 13 
			 Newham 238,566,703 9 2 1 12 
			 Inner London total 2,100,757,705 6 5 1 12 
			   
			 Outer London:  
			 Greenwich 182,248,538 5 6 1 13 
			 Barking and Dagenham 132,276,243 4 4 1 9 
			 Barnet 202,317,600 8 6 1 15 
			 Bexley 153,060,000 7 6 1 13 
			 Brent 179,607,000 4 5 1 10 
			 Bromley 175,928,289 6 6 1 13 
			 Croydon 222,125,992 4 6 1 11 
			 Ealing 189,317,900 5 6 1 11 
			 Enfield 211,582,891 4 5 1 10 
			 Harrow 129,232,854 8 3 1 12 
			 Havering 144,209,158 4 3 1 7 
			 Hillingdon 174,913,589 5 6 1 12 
			 Hounslow 162,807,476 6 5 1 12 
			 Kingston upon Thames 85,012,894 5 6 1 13 
			 Merton 94,786,950 7 6 1 13 
			 Redbridge 177,491,996 3 5 1 9 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 80,250,200 6 5 1 12 
			 Sutton 124,653,054 7 5 1 13 
			 Waltham Forest 173,245,154 4 8 0 12 
			 Outer London 2,995,067,778 5 6 1 12 
			   
			 Greater London 5,095,825,483 6 5 1 12 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Estimated gross expenditure, rather than net expenditure, is given as income cannot be split between nursery, mainstream and special schools.
	2. Financial data are taken from LEAs 200304 Section 52 Budget statements submitted to the DfES.
	3. The SEN element of the schools budget includes the provision for pupils with statements, specialist report for statemented and non-statemented pupils, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad and collaboration and integration.
	4. The SEN element of the LEA budget includes educational psychology service/assessments and statementing, LEA functions in relation to child protection, health service partnerships/special medical attention, parent partnership, guidance and information and promoting good practice and collaboration. Figures are at LEA level rather than school level and consequently cannot be allocated to phase of education.

Student Loans

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2004 reference number 151860, what proportion of graduates the model assumed would have debts on graduation due to (a) maintenance loans, (b) fee loans and (c) fee and maintenance loans combined, broken down by bands of 1,000.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 10 February 2004
	Of those students entering higher education after 2006, our modelling for the RIA assumed broadly that (a) 85 per cent. would leave HE with a debt based on maintenance loans, (b) 80 per cent. would leave with debt based on loans for fees, and (c) around 70 per cent. would leave with debt for both maintenance and fee loans combined.
	The distribution of the level of debtespecially broken down into narrow rangesis not an explicit output of the model. Moreover, it will not be static as it will depend on a number of factors and assumptions which change over time, such as: parental income, value of loans available; and the interaction of other model assumptions, including course length and whether a student completes their course.
	We estimate, using the assumptions in the Regulatory Impact Assessment, and figures for the expected average debt for 200203, that the average debt of students starting in 2006 will be around 15,000.

Sure Start

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on Sure Start; and what staffing resources have been allocated to implement Sure Start in Somerset in 200304.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start is a vital part of our commitment to achieve better outcomes for all children. The Chancellor, in his budget speech, restated that commitment when he announced 669 million additional funding for Sure Start by 200708 which will pay for children's centres in all of the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England by 200708; 100,000 new childcare places, some of which will be to support nursery education places and a pilot to extend a free part-time early education place to 6,000 two years olds in disadvantaged areas.
	2.551 million has been allocated to Somerset for general Sure Start grant activities in 200304.
	A further 2.244 million has been allocated to three Sure Start Local Programmes and two Mini Local Programmes in Somerset for 200304 (although this funding is controlled by the programmes rather than the local authority). The Department does not collect information on how this funding is allocated to meet staffing requirements.
	In addition, the three Sure Start Local Programmes have a maximum capital allocation of 3.325 million. This funding is for use during the first three years of a programme's life. The Mini Sure Start in Chard also has an approved capital allocation of 250,000.
	Somerset is also developing 363 new full time child care places across the county through the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative. Total revenue grant allocated for 200304 is approximately 455,000.

Sure Start

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of Sure Start centres offering a facility for (a) consumer and (b) financial advice; and if he will meet the Consumers' Association to discuss the matter.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start local programmes and children's centres are required to provide services which deliver the Sure Start Unit's PSA targets, including a target to reduce the number of children in workless households. Services are expected to be based on evidence of what works. Consumer and financial advice, including advice on in-work benefits for example, is already provided by many Sure Start local programmes and this will also be the case in children's centres.
	I would be happy to consider a request for a meeting with the Consumers' Association and suggest they contact my office with a possible agenda.

Telephone Tapping

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consultation his Department has had with higher education institutions about the tapping of the telephone conversations and e-mails of foreign students; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: None.

Universities (Work Experience)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if his Department will encourage universities to offer credits for work experience on university courses.

Alan Johnson: The use of credit systems is a matter for higher education institutions. However, in the White Paper, The future of higher education, we asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to work with partners in the sector to build upon the best current practice, and to scale this up so that there is widespread and consistent use of credit across higher education. The work is being taken forward as part of a wider exercise to review systems for measuring and recording student achievement, initially through a scoping group chaired by Professor Bob Burgess, VC at the University of Leicester. Professor Burgess is expected to report with recommendations for future action during the summer. More specifically on work experience, the newly introduced two-year foundation degrees combine academic study with work based learning, with the work based element forming part of the overall assessment toward the final award. Employers are actively involved in the design and review of courses to ensure that students are gaining a HE qualification that is relevant to employment in their chosen area.

University Science Departments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will list the university science departments that have run (a) with a deficit and (b) in credit over each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what action he is planning to support university science departments that are running with a deficit.

Alan Johnson: Higher education institutions are required to prepare audited financial statements each year. Those statements do not, however, record income and expenditure at the level of individual departments within the institution. Details are not, therefore, available.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) takes account of the additional costs of science subjects as part of its funding methodology. The funding it pays to institutions is, however, provided as a block grant and it is for the individual institutions to determine the levels at which to fund their departments based on the funding from HEFCE and their other income.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Coastal Defence

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what forecasts have been made for funding allocations for the coastal defence budget for the next 10 years.

Elliot Morley: Total provision for Central Government funding to the flood and coastal defence operating authorities (Environment Agency (EA), local authorities (LAs) and internal drainage boards (IDBs)) for maintenance and improvement of defences against flooding, both coastal and otherwise, and coastal erosion is 467 million in 200405 and 539 million in 200506.
	The operating authorities decide how best to invest this money within the constraints of Defra's funding criteria so funds are not specifically set aside for coastal defences as such. I hope to reserve allocations within the overall 200506 figure for the EA, LAs for coast protection, LAs for flood defence and IDBs in October following analysis of operating authority forward plans.
	Funding to 200708 will be considered in this year's Spending Review. Longer-term funding needs are being considered as part of Defra's National Assessment of Defence Needs and Costs and I hope to be in a position to publish findings in the summer.

Conferences/Seminars

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans were made by her Department for conferences and seminars in conjunction with its consultation on the draft UK National Allocation Plan for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; what the total cost of organising each of those events was; and how many people attended in each case.

Elliot Morley: Defra has held three general consultation seminars, the costs and attendances are as follows.
	
		
			 Date Cost (000) Attendance 
		
		
			 16 June 2003 3,500 180 
			 10 September 2003 12,000 250 
			 28 January 2004 7,000 450 
		
	
	DTI have also held sector specific meetings with industry to discuss aspects of the consultation.

Disposable Nappies

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how long it takes for disposable nappies to decompose in landfill sites; and what percentage of the waste going to landfill this represents;
	(2)  what steps she will take to reduce the environmental impact of the disposal of disposable nappies;
	(3)  what restrictions are placed on waste disposal authorities in relation to the disposal in landfill sites of raw sewage from (a) disposable nappies and (b) other sources;
	(4)  what estimate she has made of the total number of disposable nappies that entered the household waste stream in 2003; and what percentage of household waste this constituted.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 22 March 2004
	Disposable nappies consist of fluffed pulp, the largest component, and plastic. They also contain absorbent gel. The rate of breakdown will depend on the conditions of landfill and the other types of waste deposited. Generally landfill sites in the UK have a high moisture and organic content and therefore waste, including the paper and gel parts of nappies, will degrade relatively quickly.
	Plastics are generally resistant to degradation and, depending on the type, some will take years to breakdown, others may last indefinitely.
	The Strategy Unit in its report 'Waste Not Want Not' estimated that in 200001 nappies comprised around 2 per cent. of household waste, equivalent to 350,000 tonnes.
	Nappies from the home are classed as household waste and can be disposed of in the normal household waste. Properly regulated landfill is a proven method of dealing with waste safely and can be relied on if alternative methods of dealing with waste are not provided. Our view is that good waste management practice adequately regulated can and does cope with disposable nappies.
	Following the publication of the Strategy Unit report 'Waste Not Want Not' the Government accepted the recommendation that the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) should take forward (as part of an overall waste minimisation initiative) work on supporting re-usable nappies through the provision of support for new businesses and information to parents. The details of the programme are still being worked up.
	The aim of the WRAP programme is to achieve an average diversion of 225kg/yr per participating household. WRAP'S target is to convert 155,000 households to re-usable nappies by end of fiscal year 2006. This is an ambitious target and if achieved would create a reduction in household waste of 35,000 tonnes (per annum).

Drinking Water Quality

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the net environmental effect that would flow from tightening drinking water standards further, with particular reference to energy consumption by water companies.

Elliot Morley: The standards for wholesomeness included in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 are based on those set out in the 1998 EC Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption (98/83/EC). These in turn reflect the current World Health Organisation guideline values for drinking water quality. The WHO has published a third edition of its draft guidelines which the European Commission has considered as part of a review of standards, as required by the Directive, in the light of scientific and technical progress.
	The process of reviewing the Directive started during October 2003 when the European Commission held a seminar. It has indicated that there is unlikely to be significant changes to the current standards during next five years and that any changes that might be adopted would be unlikely to come into force before 2010. The Government considers that it is not possible to consider provision for costs associated with possible changes to water quality standards within the 2004 periodic review of water prices.
	Drinking water standards apply generally at consumers' taps. Environmental standards are set independently to protect the environment, for example, the environmental quality standards that are set to protect aquatic organisms and ecosystems are applied in the water body.
	If, in the light of scientific and technical progress, the EC were to agree to more stringent drinking water quality standards in the future, the normal requirements to consult and to prepare impact assessments would apply to any proposed new regulatory standards. The costs of meeting such tighter standards would also be taken into account in the periodic review of water prices.

Emissions Trading

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will change her policy so as to co-ordinate the implementation of the national allocation plan of the Emissions Trading Scheme to include the British Ceramic Confederation in respect of the ceramics sector.

Elliot Morley: Government have consulted UK industry at each stage of the implementation process of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the development of the National Allocation Plan. The British Ceramic Confederation has informed officials of problems with some of the data submitted for the draft National Allocation Plan. Data are being resubmitted and corrected information will be used for the list of installation-level allocations to be published in June. Furthermore, the British Ceramic Confederation have been involved throughout our on-going consultation with industry, and representatives were present at a meeting held between Defra and DTI officials and the ceramics sector on 16 February 2004. Officials are taking the issues raised by stakeholders seriously and are currently working on how to revise the proposals set out in the draft National Allocation Plan to address these and other concerns raised by stakeholders. Work on these issues and on other points raised in formal responses to the consultation will continue over the coming weeks.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards incorporating the Clean Development Mechanism and the Joint Implementation of Reduction Aims in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: The Commission has proposed an amendment to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) which links the EU ETS to the Kyoto Project Mechanisms, Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
	The Linking Directive is currently being negotiated and we expect a first reading deal in April . The UK supports early agreement on this directive and we expect that once concluded the Amendment Directive will provide a mechanism for the use of credits from CDM and JI projects by operators within the EU ETS as soon as these projects become available.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms she expects to put in place to ensure that the self-monitoring of installations participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is not undermined by fraud.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission have published guidance for the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. Installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the UK are required to submit monitoring and reporting plans to the regulators who will be assessing these in accordance with the Commission Guidelines. This will ensure that all installations within a sector are monitoring and reporting their data according to the same protocol.
	In addition to this, baseline emissions data and annual emissions reports will be verified by independent verifiers and this should minimise the risk of false or misleading information being submitted.
	Finally, the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2003 also contain provisions making it an offence to provide, deliberately or recklessly, false or misleading information in various situations, such as for the purpose of obtaining an emissions permit. These provisions should again reduce the risk of fraud.
	Similar provisions are having to be put in place in other countries participating in the scheme.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the 20 per cent. cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 she expects to be achieved through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: The Government are firmly committed to its domestic goal of moving towards a 20 per cent. reduction in CO2 emissions below 1990 levels by 2010. The Climate Change Programme published in 2000 identifies policies that were expected to achieve reductions of 17.75 MtC which would amount to a reduction of 19 per cent. on 1990 levels.
	The Government proposed in the draft National Allocation Plan published for consultation in January that the cap on emissions for the first phase of the scheme should be derived from the projections of emissions for policies already in place for the industry sectors concerned. The sector cap proposed for the electricity supply industry has been reduced by 0.75 MtC to contribute towards further reductions in line with the plans in the Climate Change Programme for reductions from emission trading. This was consistent with an overall reduction of 16.3 per cent. by 2010.
	In determining the cap for the second phase of the scheme from 2008 to 2012, the Government will ensure that installations covered by the scheme make an appropriate contribution to that goal. This issue will be considered further in the review of the UK Climate Change Programme which will take place later in 2004.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the ability of EU accession countries to participate in the EU emissions trading scheme.

Elliot Morley: The UK and other member states have worked with the European Commission through a series of workshops in accession countries to discuss the implementation of the EU emissions trading scheme. The Commission regularly reviews the progress of all member states and accession countries in implementing the scheme. The latest assessment suggests that most are on course to participate in the scheme from next year.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the monitoring of emissions from installations participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme situated in the accession countries.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission has held workshops in eight out of 10 capitals of the acceding countries in order to explain the Directive and the steps needed to implement it. These workshops covered monitoring, reporting and verification; allocation; registries and implementing legislation. Another series of workshops are being held throughout the EU focussing on national allocation plans.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional resources will be made available to the Environment Agency to help it fulfil its responsibilities under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency has taken on additional staff to manage the responsibilities that it will have as a regulator for the purposes of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The Agency agrees its priorities with the Department during the annual corporate planning process and allocates its funds accordingly.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) current and (b) prospective EU member states have approached her Department for advice on the drafting of national allocation plans.

Elliot Morley: The UK published its draft National Allocation Plan for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for consultation in January. Government officials have discussed the proposals with representatives of all EU Member States and Accession Countries at meetings organised by the European Commission to discuss the implementation of the scheme. The draft National Allocation Plan is available on the Defra website and we are aware that many Member States have reviewed the detail of our approach to the Plan.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff were involved in drafting the National Allocation Plan.

Elliot Morley: The development and drafting of the National Allocation Plan has involved more than forty staff from Defra, DTI and the Devolved Administrations, with significant contributions from other departments including HM Treasury and Ofgem.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) cost so far and (b) projected total cost of producing the National Allocation Plan is.

Elliot Morley: The cost to date to Defra and DTI has been in the order of 1.3 million including wages, seminars and consultants fees.

Fly-tipping

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency spent in each year from 1999 to 2003 on staff costs to (a) detect and (b) prosecute fly-tippers.

Elliot Morley: Staff costs relating to fly-tipping are not readily available. The Environment Agency spends around 12 million a year on waste-related enforcement activity. The activity relates directly to prosecutions, cautions and elements of notices. This is around 3 per cent. of the Agency's regulatory budget.

Gamma Interferon Test

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total spending was on gamma interferon development and trials in each of the last five financial years.

Ben Bradshaw: Expenditure on gamma-interferon associated research since 1999 is summarised as follows.
	
		000
		
			  Expenditure 
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Expenditure on research projects on gamma-interferon 170 256 209 134 (20)145 
			 Expenditure on other research projects contributing to development of gamma-interferon as a diagnostic test 664 1,522 1,451 2,506 (20)2,861 
		
	
	(20) Estimate.
	In addition the gamma-interferon field pilot, which began in November 2002, is expected to cost 667,000 over two years.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in Crosby have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Elliot Morley: The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme is now marketed as Warm Front. Between the launch of the scheme in June 2000 and the end of December 2003, approximately 1,800 households in Crosby received assistance from the Scheme.

Ivory

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has raised the issue of regulation of the domestic ivory market with the Governments of (a) the People's Republic of China, (b) Japan, (c) Myanmar and (d) Vietnam.

Elliot Morley: I have discussed this in China and Japan. I am aware, of concerns about the regulation of domestic ivory markets in a number of Asian countries. At the last Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Santiago in November 2002, the Secretariat was directed to assess controls on the internal ivory trade in a number of countries, including China and Japan. Their initial findings will be considered at the CITES Standing Committee meeting later this month, including recommendations for early verification visits by the Secretariat to both China and Japan.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether in the event that the Government choose to implement the large combustion plants directive (LCPD) through a national plan approach her Department will seek amendments to the Integrated Pollution Preventative and Control (IPPC) Directive to allow emission limits to be met via the trading of S02, NOx and dust emission allowances in place of the IPPC's existing requirements to meet the LCPD's emission limit values.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 March 2004
	The LCPD applies without prejudice to the IPPC Directive. That means that large combustion plants subject to the IPPC Directive will each have emission limit values (ELVs) set on the basis of the application of best available techniques (BAT) for dealing with pollution. Those ELVs may thus be tighter than those set in the LCPD but cannot be less stringent.
	In its response 1 to a June 2003 communication on IPPC from the European Commission, the Government urged a further amendment of the IPPC Directive, along the lines of that already advanced in the Emissions Trading Directive 2 , to facilitate greater potential for emissions trading for other pollutants.
	1 Available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ppc/cipp.htm .
	2 Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the community and amending Council Directive 96/6I/EC.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the emission limit values under the large combustion plants directive apply to existing coal-fired power stations operating under a National Emission Reduction Plan.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 March 2004
	If the option chosen to implement the revised large combustion plants directive for combustion plants with a rated thermal input equal or greater than 50MW and licensed before 1 July 1987 ('existing' plants) is a National Emission Reduction Plan, these plants would not be subject to the emission limit values specified in the directive. However, the total emissions of all 'existing' plants in the UK would be limited to a pre-determined level (a 'bubble'). The size of the 'bubble' for each pollutant (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and dust) would be calculated as the sum of the emissions when the emission limit values are applied to each existing plant, averaged over the 5-year period 1996 to 2000. This is explained in more detail in chapter three of the Department's Consultation Paper on the implementation of the revised large combustion plant directive published in June 2003.

Marine Conservation

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish a draft Marine Conservation Bill.

Elliot Morley: A number of reviews are currently examining whether new arrangements, including new legislation, are required to deliver the Government's vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. In particular, the Review of Marine Nature Conservation is looking at the adequacy of existing mechanisms for protecting the marine environment. The Government will take a decision on whether new legislation is needed once it has seen the recommendations from these reviews.

Parish/Town Councils

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list parish and town councils (a) which have been granted QUALITY Status, broken down by county area and (b) whose status is being assessed.

Alun Michael: I am very pleased at the extent of engagement of parish and town councils with achieving QUALITY status.
	There are approximately 500 clerks currently registered with their County Training Partnership (CTP) to undertake the Certificate in Local Council Administration. Town and parish councils whose clerks are currently taking the qualification are likely to apply for Quality Status once the clerk has secured it, probably within the coming 12 months.
	The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The 40 parish and town councils that have been granted Quality Status are (by county area):
	
		
			 Name of council County 
		
		
			 Weston-super-Mare Town Council Avon 
			 Keynsham Town Council Avon 
			 Leighton Linslade Town Council Bedfordshire 
			 Buckingham Town Council Buckinghamshire 
			 Huntingdon Town Council Cambridgeshire 
			 Holywell-cum-Needingworth Parish Council Cambridgeshire 
			 Poynton Parish Council Cheshire 
			 Ivybridge Town Council Devon 
			 Cullompton Town Council Devon 
			 Stokenham Parish Council Devon 
			 Tavistock Town Council Devon 
			 Exmouth Town Council Devon 
			 Kingsbridge Town Council Devon 
			 St. Osyth Parish Council Essex 
			 Great Baddow Town Council Essex 
			 Witham Town Council Essex 
			 Loughton Town Council Essex 
			 Maldon Town Council Essex 
			 Wivenhoe Town Council Essex 
			 Headley Parish Council Hampshire 
			 Brading Town Council Isle of Wight 
			 Wootton Bridge Parish Council Isle of Wight 
			 Edenbridge Town Council Kent 
			 Asfordby Parish Council Leicestershire and Rutland 
			 Halewood Town Council Merseyside 
			 Carterton Town Council Oxfordshire 
			 Lawley and Overdale Parish Council Shropshire 
			 Oswestry Town Council Shropshire 
			 Selattyn and Gobowen Parish Council Shropshire 
			 Sudbury Town Council Suffolk 
			 Seaford Town Council Sussex 
			 Hurstpierpoint Sayers Common Parish Council Sussex 
			 Burgess Hill Town Council Sussex 
			 East Grinstead Town Council Sussex 
			 Cuckfield Parish Council Sussex 
			 Crowborough Town Council Sussex 
			 Whitnash Town Council Warwickshire and West Midlands 
			 Curdworth Parish Council Warwickshire and West Midlands 
			 Melksham Without Parish Council Wiltshire 
			 Calne Town Council Wiltshire 
		
	
	(b) The parish and town councils whose status is currently being assessed are:
	
		
			 Name of council County 
		
		
			 Stoke Gifford Parish Council Avon 
			 Newbury Town Council Berkshire 
			 Sedgefield Town Council Durham 
			 Peterlee Town Council Durham 
			 Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council Hampshire 
			 Petersfield Town Council Hampshire 
			 Stone Parish Council Kent 
			 Braunstone Parish Council Leicestershire and Rutland  
			 Lancing Parish Council Sussex

Public Carriage Roads

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many roads used as public paths, as introduced under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, have been reclassified as byways open to all traffic in accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on the basis of (a) conclusive evidence of dedication as a public carriage road by the landowner and (b) circumstantial evidence of deemed dedication as a public carriage road by the landowner; and in each case, how many were inspected to ensure compliance with standards set out in Part 10 of the Highways Act 1980.

Alun Michael: Information relating to the basis on which roads used as public paths have been reclassified is not held by local highway authorities in a form in which it can be readily retrieved. The requirement is for highway authorities to maintain byways open to all traffic (BOATS) in a condition that is fit for purpose rather than to meet a fixed statutory standard.

Radioactive Waste

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management does not duplicate work already undertaken by other organisations.

Elliot Morley: CoRWM has clearly stated terms of reference that require it to provide recommendations to UK Government and devolved Administrations on how best to manage the UK's higher activity radioactive waste in the long-term under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme. These terms of reference may be viewed on the Committee's website, http://www.open.gov.uk/rwmac.

Radioactive Waste

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on long-term radioactive waste management of (a) the continued ownership of Nirex by the nuclear industry, (b) the ownership of Nirex by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (c) making Nirex independent of the nuclear industry.

Elliot Morley: We have asked the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) to provide the Government with recommendations on the best form of long-term management for the UK's higher activity radioactive waste. Government have stated their intent to make Nirex independent of industry and under greater Government control to allow an effective contribution to CoRWM's work. We are continuing to give consideration to the possibilities for this; when we are ready, an announcement will be made. In the meantime we are working to ensure Nirex continues to discharge its functions for the benefit of the public as well as its shareholders.

Recycling

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 local authorities in England achieved the (a) highest and (b) lowest rates for household recycling in 200203.

Elliot Morley: The percentage of household waste recycled and composted by the 10 highest and lowest performing local authorities in England, for which the most recent data available are 200203, is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Local authority Percentage of household waste recycled and composted in 200203(21) 
		
		
			 Daventry district council 44 
			 Lichfield district council 43 
			 Wyre district council 33 
			 Melton district council 31 
			 Isle of Wight district council 31 
			 St. Edmundsbury district council 30 
			  Windsor and Maidenhead borough council29 
			 Forest Heath district council 28 
			 Eastleigh 28 
			 Chiltern district council(22) 27 
			 Dorset county council(22) 27 
			 Kettering district council 4 
			 North Tyneside council 4 
			 Rochdale metropolitan borough council 4 
			 Corby district council 4 
			 Tower Hamlets London borough 3 
			 Bolsover district council 3 
			 Hackney London borough 3 
			 Sunderland city council 2 
			 Barking and Dagenham London borough 2 
			 Liverpool Metropolitan borough council 2 
		
	
	(21) These data are published by ODPM and are available at www.bvpi.gov.uk. The level of household waste recycling in local authorities is the sum of Best Value Performance Indicator 82a and 82b (percentage of household waste sent for recycling and composting respectively).
	(22) Joint tenth place.

Recycling

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of household recycling was achieved in each London borough in the latest year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: The percentage of household waste recycled and composted by each London borough, for which the most recent data available are 200203, is presented in the table.
	
		
			 Local authority Percentage of household waste recycled and composted in 200203(23) 
		
		
			 City of London 14.5 
			 Camden 16.1 
			 Greenwich 9.4 
			 Hackney 2.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 8.5 
			 Islington 5.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7.9 
			 Lambeth 11.0 
			 Lewisham 7.3 
			 Southwark 4.6 
			 Tower Hamlets 3.4 
			 Wandsworth 10.5 
			 Westminster 11.5 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2.2 
			 Barnet 12.1 
			 Bexley 22.0 
			 Brent 6.6 
			 Bromley 15.4 
			 Croydon 13.1 
			 Baling 10.7 
			 Enfield 11.7 
			 Haringey 4.4 
			 Harrow 9.4 
			 Havering 6.7 
			 Hillingdon 19.5 
			 Hounslow 15.1 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 19.0 
			 Merton 15.0 
			 Newham 4.2 
			 Redbridge 10.0 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 20.5 
			 Sutton 19.3 
			 Waltham Forest 10.2 
		
	
	(23) These data are published by ODPM and are available at www.bvpi.gov.uk. The level of household waste recycling in local authorities equates to the addition of BV82a (sent for recycling) and BV82b (sent for composting).

Recycling

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what penalties are imposed on local authorities who fail to meet recycling targets.

Elliot Morley: The Secretary of State has powers under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999 to act where authorities are failing to deliver best value. She may consider using these powers to require an authority to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that Statutory Performance Standards for recycling and composting are met.
	The starting point would be to invite the authority to submit an action plan setting out how it proposed to meet the standard by a given deadline. If the plan were considered unsatisfactory, follow-up action could range from inviting consultants to provide advice to the authority, to the Secretary of State taking over the waste management duties of the authority until such time as sufficient improvement is secured and can be sustainably maintained by the authority. Any of these steps is likely to have financial consequences for the authority.
	We have, however, made clear that we will only use intervention powers as a last resort, and have established a Local Authority Support Unit in Defra's Waste Implementation Programme to assist local authorities in meeting their targets.

Recycling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funds to promote home-based waste separation for recycling.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 March 2004
	Local authority waste management services are funded through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block. Spending Review 2002 increased provision by 671 million over the three years to 200506 and we will again be considering the quantum of funding as part of Spending Review 2004. In addition, on 6 January I announced that Defra will be distributing a share of a 20 million grant to all local authorities in England to address the pressure each faces to invest in waste management services in 200405.
	Within Defra we have also established the Waste Implementation Programme (WIP), investing in strategic measures to help authorities to divert waste from landfill. Through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling ('Challenge') Fund, WIP provides funds for local authorities to implement projects that improve recycling infrastructure in their area. Many of these projects improve the design and coverage of kerbside recycling schemes, including household separation. In 200304 the Challenge Fund has distributed 62.5 million to 14 big-ticket 'partnership' projects, and 43.3 million to 51 smaller projects.
	WIP has made 30 million available to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) for communications and awareness work directly focused on increasing participation in recycling and waste minimisation initiatives. A significant proportion has been allocated to a new fund, targeted at communications projects delivered at local level, primarily by local authorities, including:
	1.7 million recently allocated to support the continuation or expansion of existing local communications schemes;
	8.5 million to communications programmes directly supporting new recycling infrastructure funded by WIP under the Challenge fund;
	8.5 million to fund other communications activity delivered at local or regional level through WRAP'S Performance Improvement Through Communications Initiative.
	WRAP also operate a free advisory service available to local authorities that need to implement and improve kerbside collection systems.

Recycling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities meet their objectives for home based waste separation for recycling within the EU timeframe.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 March 2004
	There are no obligations for local authorities to implement home based waste separation under EU law.
	In England, the Household Waste Recycling Act requires that waste collection authorities, except in certain circumstances, collect at least two types of recyclable material separate from the residual waste by December 2010.
	In addition, local authorities in England have statutory targets in place to ensure that the national targets for increasing the recycling or composting rate to 25 per cent. by 2005, 30 per cent. by 2010 and 33 per cent. by 2015, are met. The Government-funded Waste Resources Action Programme is establishing a programme of advice and training for local authorities to improve collection systems for recyclable materials and organic wastes.

Science Strategy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to enhance science in her Department since the publication of the Government's science strategy, Investing in Innovation.

Alun Michael: Science plays an essential, and increasingly important role in underpinning and informing Defra's policies across the three areas of environment, food and rural affairs. Defra is therefore strongly committed to maintaining and enhancing its science capabilities, in line with our Science and Innovation Strategy (Delivering the Evidence) published in May 2003. Our RD budget is ring fenced at over 150 million per annum, and are aiming to protect this in real terms across the SR2002 period and beyond. We also spend in excess of 170 million per annum on a wide range of other types of science, including scientific advice, field trials, knowledge transfer, surveillance and monitoring.
	Defra is committed to developing its scientific capabilities and performance, building on the recommendations of the SR2002 Cross Cutting Review of Science and Research and the Government's Investing in Innovation strategy. Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser is the corporate sponsor for a number of on-going science initiatives designed to ensure that:
	we are carrying out the right scientific activities to underpin current and future policy needs and to anticipate emerging risks and opportunities;
	the scientific advice we obtain, and the science activities supporting it, is of a high quality;
	we have access to the right expertise and skills to procure and interpret scientific information, and that scientific advice is used appropriately in the policy making process; and
	Defra science is open and transparent, and its aims and results are effectively communicated.
	Our rural affairs approach in both policy and delivery is informed by high quality research and analysis. The publication (Social and economic change and diversity in rural England) in January was the first of a series from the Rural Research Centre led by Birkbeck College but including academics from other institutions.
	Defra's next Science and Innovation Strategy (due to be published spring 2005) will, among other things, address innovation in support of policy priorities and sustainable wealth creation, including technology foresight and horizon scanning, and support for technology transfer and innovation.

Sugar Regime

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to announce the outcome of the consultation on reform of the sugar regime; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: We are considering the wide range of views received and hope to produce a summary soon. In the meantime the responses themselves are available for public inspection in the Defra library.

Trophy Hunting

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to regulate specialist travel consultants who offer trophy-hunting packages to their clients.

Elliot Morley: The Government have no plans to take steps to control the activities of those who offer legal trophy hunting packages. Powers are available to refuse the import of hunting trophies and we shall not hesitate to use them where there is evidence that hunting trophies have been taken illegally, or that such hunting is itself unsustainable.

Warm Front (Cleethorpes)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many successful applications have been made for Warm Front grants in Cleethorpes constituency.

Elliot Morley: Between the launch of Warm Front in June 2000 and the end of December 2003, approximately 2,100 households in the Cleethorpes constituency received assistance from the scheme.

Waste Management

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds are available to businesses wishing to explore new methods of (a) recycling and (b) disposing of waste plastics.

Elliot Morley: In addition to the general support that is available to businesses funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Waste and Resources Action Programme may fund research and development, capital investment or business advice and support for projects concerned with the recycling of plastics.
	Further support may be available through Defra's Waste Implementation Programme which has a research budget for funding work on recycling and sustainable disposal methods across all waste streams. Defra is developing a waste research strategy which will identify key areas where research activity will need to be focused.

Waste Management

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the uses to which recycled waste farm plastics may be put.

Elliot Morley: We understand that recycled farm plastics can be used to make a range of products including damp proof membrane and damp proof courses, refuse sacks and bin liners, clinical waste sacks and aprons, plastic pallets and street and garden furniture.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will issue guidance to businesses to focus waste collection efforts where this delivers maximum economic and environmental benefit.

Elliot Morley: There are no plans to issue guidance to businesses to focus collection efforts. However, the Government does fund Envirowise, an organisation that offers free, independent advice to business on practical ways to minimise waste and increase profit.
	In addition, Budget 2003 announced that increases in the standard rate of landfill tax would be revenue neutral to business as a whole. To achieve this Government are proposing a package of measures including grants, other financial support measures and extending promotional and capacity building services to support a broader range of commercial and industrial sectors. These measures, which are undergoing detailed development, with consultation, should help businesses improve their waste performance.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget will be available in 200405 to the Waste and Resources Research Advisory Group.

Elliot Morley: No budget is allocated to the Waste and Resources Research Advisory Group (WRRAG), beyond minor costs incurred in the running of the group. WRRAG's role is to make recommendations to Defra on key research priorities to be addressed in a three-year waste research strategy currently being drawn up. The strategy will be subject to consultation later in the year and will be put out to wider consultation.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether appointments to the Waste and Resources Research Advisory Group have been made in accordance with the Nolan principles.

Elliot Morley: The Waste and Resources Research Advisory Group is classified as an ad hoc advisory group and is not constituted formally as a non-departmental public body. However, appointments have been fully consistent with the ethical parameters set out by the seven Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. The group is providing Defra with expert input into the development of a three-year waste research strategy, which will be subject to consultation later in this year.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) title and (b) subject matter of the waste management research projects that have been commissioned by (i) her Department and (ii) bodies sponsored by her Department since 1 April 2003.

Elliot Morley: Research projects commissioned by Defra and bodies sponsored by it since 1 April 2003 are set out in the following list. The titles indicate the subject matter.
	Defra
	Hazardous Waste and WEEE: identifying products and components of present and historic WEEE that are hazardous
	A review of exemptions from the waste management licensing regulations for hazardous waste
	An action plan for the reduction and environmentally sound management of hazardous waste
	Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Wastes
	Environment Agency
	Waste management life cycle assessment toolmodel development
	List I organic biodegradation/sorption within landfill liners
	Establishing equilibrium and pollutant removal requirements for UK landfill
	The management of hazardous wastes under new EU legislation
	Factors affecting the generation of chloroethene and associated trace gases in landfill
	Waste and Resources Action Programme
	To increase timber waster recycling through determining and promoting best practice in the furniture industry
	Develop methods and sampling protocols for measuring contaminants in recycled wood panelboard sector
	Wood residues footprint for the M62 west corridor
	Rapid identification and sorting of preservative treated timber
	NIRA as a tool for assessing recycled wood
	Development of waste sawdust as a plant protection material for horticulture and agriculture
	To further develop plastic media for water filtration units with a known service life in larger filtration units
	Develop process for recycling carpet waste
	Development of mass produced thermoplastic panels
	Achieve certification of products containing recycled plastics
	Tonnages and collection of construction site packaging
	REWARD and Photochem: an assessment of the weathering of recycled plastics
	Identifying and maximising affordable plastic bottle collection systems from household kerbside collections
	Materials and products from UK-sourced PVC-rich waste for new and existing markets
	New applications for Jazz PET
	Development of Food Grade HDPE Recycling Process
	Develop Options for enhancing Commercial and Industrial Film Collection
	Study to Identify Methods of Enhancing Local Authority Collection of Plastics
	Use of Post-Consumer Recyclate in Retail Packaging
	Research to determine performance of recycled glass sand compared to sand in the sports turf industry
	Determine Vortex grinder construction materials for cullet grinding
	Identifying legal and commercial barriers to glass recycling in West OxfordshireOxford Brookes University
	Increase use of mixed colour cullet reprocessing
	To identify BPEO's for use of glass cullet in construction and promote technical confidence in it's use in the construction industry
	Research to replace current fluxing agent in sanitary ware with waste bottle glass
	Improve site practices for collection and clean separation of composite materials
	To develop methodology for recycling lamp glass, overcoming technical and practical barriers to recycling
	Researching the use of ground glass in brick manufacture
	Produce advanced filtration medium using processed glass material
	Closing the fibre waste recycling loop
	Materials recovery from waste cathode ray tubes
	ConGlassCrete II
	Increasing collection and recycling of post consumer domestic window waste Feasibility study for the removal of colour from the glass furnace
	Pilot Studies for glass collection from urban licensed premises
	Pilot Studies for Glass Collection from Urban Licensed Premises
	To develop test methods and inorganic contamination limits for recovered container glass
	R and D Promoting Recycled Paper (Cellulose) Insulants in Metallic Modular Construction
	Toolbox approach to improved recycled fibre use in the UK corrugated case industry
	Research into using recycled waste paper residues in construction products
	Support development of standards for compost by investigating pathogens of concern for high-quality end-uses (follows Compost standards open R and D competition)
	Market developmentpeat substitution
	Determining the market share of recycled materials in the UK economy: development of methodology

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding (a) her Department and (b) bodies sponsored by it have made available since March 2003 for research projects relating to waste management.

Elliot Morley: The following funding has been made available for research projects relating to waste management by Defra and bodies sponsored by Defra, since March 2003:
	
		
			 Organisation 000 
		
		
			 Defra 161 
			 Environment Agency 1,220 
			 Waste and Resource Action Programme 2,695 
		
	
	No funds have yet been assigned to research from Defra's Waste Implementation Programme research budget.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the additional resources that will be made available to (a) the Environment Agency and (b) local authorities to detect the unlicensed management of waste.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency is funded through GIA for its enforcement work. This year, about 12 million was spent on waste-related enforcement activity. Local authorities receive funding through the EPCS element of their block grant and will decide resource allocations according to local priorities.
	Defra is currently consulting on a fly-tipping strategy which is designed to ensure greater effectiveness, achieved within existing resources.
	However, Defra has given the Environment Agency additional funding this year to set up and maintain Flycapture, a web based database that will enable local authorities and the Agency to fulfil the data requirements of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what modelling her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned into the possible impact of the implementation of higher environmental standards on illegal waste (i) management and (ii) disposal activity.

Elliot Morley: Defra launched a consultation on its proposed Fly-Tipping Strategy on 23 February 2004. This strategy proposes several changes to help deal with illegally disposed waste and contains a partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA).
	Defra is also commissioning a comprehensive research project looking at the causes and incentives of illegal waste disposal that will result in a good practice guide for practitioners focusing on pro-active, preventative policies.

HEALTH

Delivering Race Equality

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the responses received to Delivering Race Equality; and when he will publish the Government's proposals.

Rosie Winterton: We plan to issue two documents, the final version of Delivering Race Equality and a summary of the consultation responses in early summer.

Biomedicine

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Government have not signed the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 22 March 2004
	The convention covers a wide range of complex ethical and legal issues where United Kingdom domestic policy is still to be resolved following consultations. These matters will need to be concluded before the Government are in a position to consider signing and ratifying the convention.

Breast Screening

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on extending breast screening to younger women; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Forrest report, on which the breast screening programme is based, recommended further research to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of offering routine screening to women under 50. This is under way, entitled, Randomised controlled trial of the effect of breast cancer mortality of annual mammographic screening of women starting at age 40 (the 'Age' Trial).
	The main aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of annual mammographic screening of women starting at ages 40 to 41 on mortality from breast cancer, thus giving a definitive answer to the outstanding question of whether population screening below 50 is beneficial or not. The study began in February 1991, and recruitment to the trial has now stopped at 160,000 women. The study costs over 1 million a year to run. As the trial is primarily looking at mortality benefits, full results are not expected before 2005.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources he will be making available to implement the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Stephen Ladyman: Primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with local stakeholders, are responsible for deciding what local service improvements need to be made.
	The national health service is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history. The total of PCT allocations is 45 billion for 200304, 49.3 billion for 200405 and 53.9 billion for 200506. This represents an increase of 12.7 billion, or an average of 30.8 per cent. over the three years 200306.

Cluster Headaches

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of those who suffer from cluster headaches are taken into account in the tender for the supply of domiciliary oxygen.

Rosie Winterton: Healthcare professionals are responsible for assessing and prescribing oxygen therapy for patients, including those suffering from cluster headaches. The new contract, being developed to support introduction of a modernised, integrated, oxygen service from 2005, will require service contractors to supply oxygen in a way that best meets the needs of the patient, as set out in the patient's prescription.

Computer Misuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action.

Rosie Winterton: The Department takes very seriously any misuse of its information technology systems. All computer users are made aware of the Department's acceptable use policy, which is brought to the attention of new users and is available on the Department of Health Intranet.
	Figures for the year 1997 are not available. The table shows the total recorded cases of significant breaches of the Department's acceptable use policy. Figures cover downloading of inappropriate material, loading of unauthorised software and the storage and circulation of inappropriate emails. A more detailed breakdown of these figures is not available. Management checks indicate only a small number of the breaches involve inappropriate content.
	
		2003
		
			 Type of misuse Total cases 
		
		
			 Internet 2 
			 Email 5 
			 Internet and e-mail 0 
			 Total no of cases 7 
			 Police conviction 1 
			 Action outstanding 2 
			 Disciplinary action taken 4

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 17 February with regard to Dr. P. W. Bishop.
	(2)  when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 12 February 2004, with regard to Dr. D. W. Bishop.

John Reid: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 26 March 2004.

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population had access to an NHS dentist in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2003.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The Adult Dental Health Survey in 1998 showed that 71 per cent. of the population had seen a dentist in the previous year. Table 1 shows the percentage of dentate adults surveyed that last visited the dentist in given periods.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Time since last visit to the dentist(24) Percentage of dentate adults 
		
		
			 Up to 1 year 71 
			 Over 1 year, up to 2 years 7 
			 Over 2 years, up to 5 years 12 
			 Over 5 years, up to 10 years 6 
		
	
	(24) Excludes those who have never been to the dentist.
	There is no straightforward measure of national health service dental access. However, adult courses of NHS dental treatment have continued to increase; from 24.6 million in 1997, to 25.9 million in 2000, to 26.3 million in 2003.
	Adult registrations with a General Dental Service (CDS) dentist fell in September 1997, because of a reduction in the registration period from 24 to 15 months in September 1996, and have been relatively stable since then. Table 2 shows the numbers of registrations and registration rates as a percentage of the population for adults and children at September in the years 1997, 2000 and 2003 for England.
	
		Table 2
		
			  Number (million) Rates (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997(25)   
			 Adults 19.38 51.0 
			 Children 7.37 65.2 
			 Total 26.75 54.3 
			
			 2000   
			 Adults 16.81 43.4 
			 Children 6.85 60.7 
			 Total 23.66 47.3 
			
			 2003   
			 Adults 16.65 44.0 
			 Children 6.67 60.0 
			 Total 23.32 47.6 
		
	
	(25) The registration periods were changed in September 1996, which affected registration numbers from December 1997.
	The registration period is currently 15 months, so patients who have not attended a dentist within that period will not be included in the registration figures.
	Anyone wishing to find a dentist with whom to register for NHS dental care, or obtain emergency or occasional treatment, should normally be able to do so by calling NHS Direct. In first 10 months of 2003, NHS Direct was able to give 93 per cent. of callers details of a dentist taking new NHS patients in their area and within local distance standards. Corresponding information is not available for the years 1997 and 2000.

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the NHS budget has been spent on providing dental care in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The gross national health service spend on the general dental service (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) and the percentage this represents of total NHS expenditure for 199798 to 200203 is shown in the table. During this period, gross spend on the GDS and PDS has increased by 15 per cent. in real terms.
	
		Gross NHS general dental expenditure and percentage of NHS gross expenditure
		
			  Gross expenditure on general dental service and personal dental service(26)( million) Gross expenditure on general dental service and personal dental services(26) , (27) as a percentage of total gross NHS expenditure(28)  
		
		
			 199798 1,349 3.57 
			 199899 1,443 3.61 
			 19992000 1,491 3.43 
			 200001 1,582 3.31 
			 200102 1,674 3.17 
			 200203 1,750 3.01 
		
	
	(26) Gross expenditure includes income raised through dental charges paid by patients.
	(27) Expenditure on the community and hospital dental services has not been included as the information is not collected centrally.
	(28) The expenditure figures used for the comparison are on a cash basis up to and including 19992000 and on a resource basis thereafter.
	Under proposals set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, primary care trusts (PCTs) will assume responsibility for commissioning primary dental care services. With these responsibilities will go the financial resources amounting to some 1.3 billion, which are currently held centrally.
	We have guaranteed that dentists working in the GDS will have an automatic right to a contract under the new arrangements and that their gross earnings will be protected over the transition period of three years. During this period, PCTs' newly devolved dentistry allocations will represent a minimum level of spend on NHS which PCTs must maintain.

Dentistry

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many training places for dentists have been available in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many places were available in each of the dental schools in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many dentists qualified in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The quota of training places available for dentists in dental schools in England, as shown in table 1, was set after the Dental Workforce Review conducted in 1987. It has not changed since then but, as the information on graduates in table 2 indicates, the number of students accepted fluctuates because dental schools are required to admit all applicants who achieve the 'A' level scores in the offer of admission the school makes.
	
		Table 1: Number of training places available in England
		
			 Dental school Number of training places 
		
		
			 Birmingham 65 
			 Bristol 50 
			 King's College, London 145 
			 Leeds 55 
			 Liverpool 55 
			 Manchester 60 
			 Newcastle 68 
			 QMW (Barts and The London) 55 
			 Sheffield 47 
			 Total 600 
		
	
	The numbers of dental students who have graduated from these courses over the last 10 years are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Number of graduates 19932003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199394 541 
			 199495 492 
			 199596 526 
			 199697 535 
			 199798 576 
			 199899 581 
			 19992000 585 
			 200001 618 
			 200102 591 
			 200203 549

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what provisions are in place to increase the capacity of trained multidisciplinary teams to fulfil the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on patient education for people with diabetes; [R]
	(2)  how many primary care trusts provide structured diabetes education in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines published in May 2003; [R]
	(3)  when he expects the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance on patient education for people with diabetes to be implemented in full; [R]
	(4)  what percentage of people with diabetes were invited to structured diabetes education sessions with a trained multidisciplinary team in the last 12 months; and what the average frequency was of the follow-up sessions. [R]

Rosie Winterton: In publishing its guidance on patient education in diabetes, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence acknowledged that successful implementation of structured educational programmes would depend on the availability of an appropriately trained workforce. Patient education models are currently being made available locally for use by the national health service. This should help primary care trusts to meet the planning and priorities framework target of having practice based registers and systematic treatment, including structured education, in place for people with diabetes by 2006.
	The development of the diabetes workforce capacity is the responsibility of the long-term conditions care group workforce team. Skills for Health has been commissioned by the care group workforce team to develop competence frameworks for the diabetes workforce. This work includes identifying the competences needed to undertake structured education programmes for people with diabetes. Once complete, this work will be used in many different ways, for example, education commissioning, skills analysis and training needs analysis.
	Information is not collected centrally on the local operation of patient education programmes.

Health Spending (West Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public money was spent on health in the constituency of West Derbyshire between (a) 1992 and 1997, (b) 1997 and 2001 and (c) 2001 and 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure per weighted head in the Trent Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes the constituency of West Derbyshire, has increased from 610.10 in 199798 to 862.03 in 200203the latest year available. This does not represent the total expenditure per head as an element of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.

Integrated Community Equipment Service Team

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what period he will support the Integrated Community Equipment Service Team; and what budget has been allocated for 200405.

Stephen Ladyman: It is intended to continue the integrating community equipment services team until March 2005. The budget for 200405 has not yet been finalised.

Maternity Services (Asylum Seekers)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) maternity and (b) antenatal services asylum-seeking women will have access to after 1 April 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: Women whose application for asylum is under consideration are able to access the same maternity and antenatal services as the resident population. There will be no change to these arrangements on 1 April 2004.

Medicines and Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to ensure consumer representation on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Rosie Winterton: The Committee on the Safety of Medicine's expert working group on the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors included lay membership from its inceptionuniquely for an expert group. Following the resignation of one of the lay members, we intend to appoint another lay member to the group as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance has been given to NHS trusts on the provision of (a) appropriate clothing and (b) other personal items to patients with mental health problems on their return to the community;
	(2)  what guidance has been issued to NHS trusts on their responsibility for the provision of clothing to long-stay patients.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 March 2004
	As outlined in the National Service Framework for Mental Health (1999), trusts should ensure that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to secure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients.
	The care programme approach requires patients' health and social care needs to be fully assessed and addressed in their care plans. Care plans should be reviewed regularly, particularly upon discharge from hospital. This principle is embodied in Effective Care Co-ordination in Mental Health Services (1999).
	We would expect the trust to take account of the basic needs of the patient and asses these in the context of his or her wishes, the length of the hospital stay, and any other available resources.

Nappies

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals have (a) formal and (b) exclusive agreements with (i) manufacturers and (ii) suppliers of disposable nappies.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.

NHS (South Tyneside)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per capita by the NHS in South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what spending is projected for 2004.

Melanie Johnson: Available information on the average amount of national health service spending per weighted head for the former Gateshead and South Tyneside Health Authority for 199697 to 200102 is shown in table 1. The information for 200203 is not available in the same format and is shown as the average spending per weighted head for the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority. Revenue allocations per weighted head for 200304 to 200405 are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 1: Expenditure per head by health authority area
		
			  Expenditureper head () 
		
		
			  Gateshead and South Tyneside Health Authority area 
			 199697 645.55 
			 199798 614.40 
			 199899 631.75 
			 19992000 727.51 
			 200001 784.29 
			 200102 886.71 
			  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority area 
			 200203 997.49 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Primary care trust revenue allocations by strategic health authority area
		
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear StrategicHealth Authority area Revenue allocations per head () 
		
		
			 200304 915 
			 200405 1,001 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 200203 data remains provisional.
	2. Revenue allocations to primary care trusts 200304 to 200405.
	3. Weighted population figures 199697 to 200405.
	Sources:
	Audited accounts of the Gateshead and South Tyneside Health Authority 199697 to 199899.
	Audited summarisation forms of the Gateshead and South Tyneside Health Authority 19992000 to 200102.
	Audited summarisation forms of the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority 200203.
	Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts within the health authority areas.

NHS Beds (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of NHS beds available in Crosby in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: Information on the average daily number of beds in acute wards in each national health service trust and England from 199697 to 200203 is available from the Department's website at www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/index. htm.
	Information on beds is collected on a provider basis from NHS organisations. Relevant available information on beds for two trusts in the area is shown in the tables.
	
		Average daily number of available beds by sectorAintree Hospitals NHS Trust 199697 to 200203
		
			  All specialties(29) General and acute Acute Geriatric Mental illness Learning disability Maternity Day only 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199697 1,194 928 772 155 195 0 71 47 
			 199798 1,190 934 779 156 193 0 62 38 
			 199899 1,152 911 751 161 179 0 61 47 
			 19992000 1,110 894 741 153 168 0 47 73 
			 200001 1,163 968 812 156 156 0 39 63 
			 200102 949 949 789 161 0 0 0 75 
			 200203 905 905 743 162 0 0 0 71 
		
	
	(29) Excluding day only.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03
	
		Average daily number of available beds by sectorSouthport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, 199697 to 200203
		
			  All specialties(30) General and acute Acute Geriatric Mental illness Learning disability Maternity Day only 
		
		
			  
			 199697 
			 199798 
			 199899 
			 19992000 627 590 456 134 0 0 37 41 
			 200001 653 616 481 135 0 0 37 52 
			 200102 605 569 456 112 0 0 36 58 
			 200203 604 568 487 80 0 0 36 7 
		
	
	(30) Excluding day only.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03

NHS Staff

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff have been attacked in (a) Lancashire, (b) Preston and (c) Chorley Hospital in each of the last five years; and how many of the attackers have been prosecuted in each case.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 27 January 2004
	The Department does not collect this information in the form requested. The Department does, however, collect information on reported incidents of violence, which includes verbal abuse. The table shows the number of recorded incidents of violence in national health service organisations in Lancashire for which information is available.
	
		Number of recorded incidents of violence in NHS organisations in Lancashire(31)
		
			  200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Primary care trust
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT (32) 6 25 
			 Blackpool PCT (32) (32) 59 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT (32) (32) 109 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT (32) 0 4 
			 Fylde PCT (32) (32) 28 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT (32) (32) 240 
			 Preston PCT (32) (32) 135 
			 West Lancashire PCT (32) 29 26 
			 Wyre PCT (32) (32) 49 
			 
			 National health service trust   
			 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS Trust 459 496 78 
			 Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust 377 (32) (32) 
			 Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Community Health Services NHS Trust 631 362 124 
			 Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust 531 185 57 
			 Calderstones NHS Trust 519 340 273 
			 Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust (33)78 422 (32) 
			 Communicare NHS Trust 373 132 (32) 
			 Guild Community Healthcare NHS Trust 370 408 (32) 
			 Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 112 161 104 
			 Lancashire Care NHS Trust (32) (32) 1,353 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (32) (32) 399 
			 North Sefton and West Lancashire Community NHS Trust 190 (32) (32) 
		
	
	(31) Organisations in Lancashire for which information is available.
	(32) Not applicable or not available.
	(33) Includes Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
	Notes:
	1. In April 2002, Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust was dissolved. Most of its staff were incorporated into Lancashire Care NHS Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. In April 2002, Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was dissolved. Most of its staff were incorporated into Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. For 200001, a combined return was received from Preston Acute Hospitals and Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust.
	2. Violence incidents are those reported that include verbal or physical abuse.
	3. Figures for 200102 are from surveys by the Department of Health and the National Audit Office.
	Sources:
	Department of Health Surveys of Violence, Accidents and Harassment in the NHS National Audit Office.

NHS Staff

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys he has conducted to determine morale of staff in NHS hospitals in the west Midlands; if he will publish the results; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 26 March 2004
	The Department does not conduct surveys of local national health service staff. However, NHS employers have been required to conduct local staff opinion surveys since April 2000. The surveys were for local use only and the results were not collected nationally.
	The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) took on the responsibility for conducting and publishing the results of both national staff and patient surveys from April 2003.
	Copies of the survey can be obtained from CHI's website at www.chi.nhs.uk. CHI will be publishing a more detailed breakdown of the survey results in its State of the NHS report, planned for June 2004.

NHS Staff

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the numbers of NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses in Crosby in each of the last seven years;
	(2)  how many NHS (a) therapists and (b) scientists were located in Crosby in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not available on a constituency basis. Information is collected on a national health service trust basis and a primary care trust basis from 200102.
	The information available has been placed in the Library.

North Bristol NHS Trust

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of (a) the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority and (b) his Department in determining the progress of the strategic outline case being prepared by North Bristol NHS Trust.

Rosie Winterton: The process for the next prioritisation round is detailed as follows:
	Health communities will describe their proposals for major capital investments in strategic outline cases (SOCs) and these will form the basis of the scheme's assessment. SOCs must demonstrate both health service need and deliverability. Both the trust and the main commissioners must be in agreement that the investment is likely to be affordable and deliverable. In addition the host'' strategic health authority (SHA), the SHA within which the proposed investment will fall, must agree that these assessments are realistic before submitting the SOC to the Department.
	Central assessment will not second guess the SHA's view on health service need; instead, it will concentrate on factors that influence the deliverability of the scheme, including the quality of stakeholder support, project management arrangements and technical considerations.
	SOCs will be peer-reviewed by other SHAs operating as part of a technical group, coordinated and guided by the Department. The technical group will report to the Department of Health which will make a recommendation to Ministers. We expect decisions to be announced in the summer.

Ophthalmology

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the Levent ophthalmology teams contracted by Trent Strategic Health Authority; and what plans he has to extend their contracts in the Trent region.

Stephen Ladyman: The Levent ophthalmology team contracted by Trent Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has operated on a total of 2,307 patients between September 2003 and March 2004. This exceeded the original contract volume by 859 patients.
	Trent SHA report that it was very impressed by the working styles of the Levent clinics and their kind approach to patients.
	The SHA is currently auditing clinical outcomes for the Levent project; which it anticipates will be completed within the next few months, when the final outcomes will be available. While the SHA has no plans to issue further contracts to Levent at this time, it has confirmed that Erewash Primary Care Trust is considering contracting further cataract surgery in 200405.

PET Scanners

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the framework document for PET scanners.

Melanie Johnson: The Department will publish a framework for Positron Emission Tomography scanning for consultation by early summer. Copies will be placed in the Library.

Prescription Drugs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require pharmaceutical companies to publish the results of experiments involving prescription drugs.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans currently in place to require disclosure of the results of company research on prescription drugs. The Government welcome the pharmaceutical industry's support for the Department of Health's research governance framework for health and social care, which recognises that it is researchers' responsibility to ensure that research findings are opened to critical review through the accepted scientific and professional channels and disseminated promptly once established. The Government encourage the pharmaceutical industry to disclose research results to the maximum extent consistent with regulatory process and intellectual property rights.

Respiratory Conditions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for a national service framework for respiratory conditions.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans for a national service framework (NSF) covering respiratory conditions.
	The children's NSF will include childhood asthma as an exemplar condition.
	The NSF for coronary heart disease already has a reduction in cigarette smoking as one of its major targets. We have also banned tobacco advertising and made smoking reduction aids available on national health service prescription.
	Additionally the National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued clinical guidelines for the NHS on 27 February 2004 for the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Seroxat

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been recorded as having suffered adverse side effects from the prescription of Seroxat.

Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) receive reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) submitted by health professionals on a voluntary basis via the yellow card scheme and there is a legal requirement for companies to report suspected ADRs to their drugs.
	A total of 8,960 reports of suspected ADRs have been received through the yellow card scheme in association with paroxetine (Seroxat) since 1990.

St. Jude Silzone Heart Valve

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take measures to ensure that all surviving UK recipients of the St. Jude silzone heart valve are informed why these valves have been withdrawn from the market; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take measures to ensure that all UK recipients of the St Jude silzone heart valve are encouraged to contact for advice the hospitals and surgeons where and by whom they were fitted with these valves; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department issued advice to United Kingdom cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists on the problems associated with the St. Jude Silzone heart valve in November 1999 and January 2000. Specifically, the Department advised clinicians of the recall of Silzone heart valves of the increased risk of complications with the Silzone heart valves and of the consequent need to undertake early review of all patients implanted with these valves. Clinicians are responsible for acting on this advice and for bringing relevant information to the attention of their patients.

St. Jude Silzone Heart Valve

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what communication his Department has had with relevant authorities in the Irish Republic regarding the implications for British and Irish citizens of the withdrawal from the market of the St Jude silzone heart valve; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department notified other European competent authorities of the action taken in the United Kingdom, in relation to Silzone heart valves, via notifications through the Medical Devices Vigilance System on 19 November 1999 and 3 February 2000. These notifications informed other competent authorities of the UK's recommendation to undertake an early review of all patients implanted with the Silzone heart valve and gave background to this advice. Notifications of this type are the recognised method for exchanging information on the safety of medical devices between European Member States.

Substance Misuse

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol treatment centres there are (a) in the UK and (b) the north west; and what the budget is for each.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 22 March 2004
	There are 475 alcohol treatment centres in England. We estimate that around 95 million is spent each year on alcohol treatment services in England. Most of the funding for alcohol treatment services is drawn from the mainstream budgets of the national health service and local authorities. The method of funding these services means that it is not possible to give a breakdown at regional level of budgets and expenditure.

TREASURY

National Statistics

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) births and (b) birth defects there were in the London borough of Hillingdon in each year since 1994; and what the rate of birth defects per 10,000 births was in the borough in each of those years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John McDonnell, dated 29 March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the number of (a) births and (b) birth defects and rates of birth defects per 10,000 births in Hillingdon since 1994. (163589)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for maintaining the National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS) notifications in England and Wales. These notifications are collected only for live and stillbirths (i.e. terminations are excluded) and are provided by NHS Trusts on a voluntary basis either directly to ONS or via local congenital anomaly registers that exchange data with ONS. In 1994 there were no registers exchanging information with NCAS. In 2000, NCAS began exchanging data with the North Thames (West) Congenital Malformation Register, which receives more complete information through multi-source ascertainment. It is a hospital-based register and includes information supplied from the maternity unit in Hillingdon. Up to eight malformations can be recorded on NCAS for each baby.
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2001. Estimates of the figures requested, covering the period 19942001 are shown in the attached table.
	
		Estimated numbers and rates of malformations recorded in the National Congenital Anomaly System(34)Hillingdon health authority, 1994 to 2001(35)
		
			  Total live and stillbirths Estimated number of malformations notified Rates per 10,000 live and stillbirths 
		
		
			 1994 3,542 69 194.8 
			 1995 3,421 48 140.3 
			 1996 3,476 51 146.7 
			 1997 3,487 62 177.8 
			 1998 3,551 38 107.0 
			 1999 3,351 49 146.2 
			 2000(36) 3,328 116 348.6 
			 2001 3,260 87 266.9 
		
	
	(34) Notification to this system is voluntary at all stages and therefore may be incomplete, particularly in areas that are not covered by a local registry.
	(35) Figures provided are by year of birth.
	(36) In 2000, NCAS began exchanging data with the North Thames (West) Congenital Malformation Register, which receives more complete information through multi-source ascertainment. It is a hospital-based register and includes information supplied from the maternity unit in Hillingdon. It is likely that the inclusion of data from this register contributed to the large increase in the estimated number of malformations in Hillingdon in 2000.
	Source
	Estimates based on numbers of babies notified to National Congenital Anomaly System at 31 July 2002 (Health Statistics Quarterly no. 16 Annual update: Congenital anomaly statisticsnotifications 2001) and the number of malformations recorded for each notified case.

National Statistics

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new cancer diagnoses were made for teenagers and young adults in the 13 to 24 years age range in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Ian Gibson, dated 29 March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many new cancer diagnoses were made for teenagers and young adults in the 13 to 24 years age range in each of the last five years. (163890)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2000. The number of newly diagnosed cases of cancers for teenagers and young adults aged 13 to 24 years for each of the five years 19962000 in England, are given in the table below:
	
		Number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer(37) in England, patients aged 13 to 24 years1996 to 2000
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Males 676 825 736 765 829 
			 Females 595 618 619 642 712 
			 Total 1,271 1,443 1,355 1,407 1,541 
		
	
	(37) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C00-C97 excluding non-melanoma skin cancerICD-10 code C44.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.

National Statistics

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children were aged (a) one, (b) two and (c) three in each of the last three years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Robert Spink, dated 29 March 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the population for children aged 1, 2 and 3. (163551)
	Below is a table showing the mid-2000, mid-2001 and mid-2002 population estimate for children aged 1, 2 and 3 years for England and Wales.
	
		Population aged 1, 2 and 3 yearsEngland and Wales 2000 to 2002(38) -- Thousand
		
			 Age 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 1 623.2 603.5 588.0 
			 2 631.8 619.1 602.6 
			 3 648.3 630.0 618.7 
		
	
	(38) Mid-year estimates of population.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.

National Statistics

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the incidence of birth defects was in each year since 1996, broken down by region.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John McDonnell, dated 29 March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the number of birth defects in England and Wales by region since 1996. (163606)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for maintaining the National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS) notifications in England and Wales. These notifications are collected only for live and stillbirths (i.e. terminations are excluded) and are provided by NHS Trusts on a voluntary basis either directly to ONS or via local congenital anomaly registers that exchange data with ONS. In 1996 there were no registers exchanging information with NCAS. By 2001, NCAS received more complete information from four local congenital anomaly registers through multi-source ascertainment.
	As a result, numbers of notifications in England and Wales have increased since 1996. These registers cover all births in Wales and 24 per cent. of births in England. For the remaining areas NCAS relies solely on SD56 notification forms and is likely to be less complete. Up to eight malformations can be recorded on the system for each baby.
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2001. Estimates of the figures requested, covering the period 19962001 are shown in the attached table.
	
		Estimated numbers of malformations recorded in the National Congenital Anomaly System(39)England, Wales and English Government Office Regions, 19962001(40)
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 England and Wales 7,440 7,504 8,220 10,168 10,874 9,423 
			   
			 England 6,577 6,753 6,516 8,575 9,273 8,027 
			
			 Wales 863 751 1,704 1,593 1,601 1,396 
			
			 Government Office Regions   
			 North East 331 277 276 289 215 145 
			 North West 1,120 1,122 1,118 1,257 1,744 1,471 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 858 913 740 1,103 1,186 973 
			 East Midlands 430 534 515 1,593 1,480 1,565 
			 West Midlands 699 713 705 754 690 623 
			 East 641 624 634 693 737 721 
			 London 1,037 951 907 871 1,375 1,157 
			 South East 842 985 980 968 991 762 
			 South West 619 634 641 1,047 855 610 
		
	
	(39) Notification to this system is voluntary at all stages and therefore coverage may be incomplete, particularly in areas that are not covered by a local registry. From 1998, ONS began to exchange data with local registers and by 2001, four such registers were exchanging data with NCAS. As a result, the total coverage of NCAS has increased.
	(40) Figures provided are by year of birth.
	Source:
	Estimates based on numbers of babies notified to National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS) at 31 July 2002 (Health Statistics Quarterly no. 16 Annual update: Congenital anomaly statisticsnotifications 2001) and the number of malformations recorded for each notified case.

United States Container Security Initiative

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of implementing in the United Kingdom the United States Container Security Initiative.

John Healey: The United States Government have met all the costs of installing equipment and providing US resources to work with HM Customs and Excise at the ports included in the initiative. Customs' costs are minimal and have not been separately quantified.

Aggregates Tax

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Treasury has received from aggregate dredging in each of the last five years.

John Healey: This information is not available, as revenue from this source is not separately identified in either aggregates levy or VAT returns.

Bureaux de Change

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to receive Lord Butterfield's report into fraud in relation to bureaux de change.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Mr. Justice Butterfield is expected to deliver an interim report to the Attorney-General and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury in the near future.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in (a) the UK and (b) Huddersfield in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Sheerman dated 29 March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in (a) the UK and (b) Huddersfield in each year since 1997. (163387)
	The latest year for which figures are currently available is 2002. Figures for the United Kingdom and Kirklees metropolitan district, which includes Huddersfield parliamentary constituency, are shown in the attached table from 1997 to 2002.
	The number of deaths in Huddersfield constituency was below five in all but one of these years. Where the numbers of deaths was less than five the exact number has been suppressed to reduce the risk of disclosure of individual cases.
	
		Number of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning(41) in Kirklees(42) and the United Kingdom, 1997 to 2002(43)
		
			 Calendar year Kirklees United Kingdom 
		
		
			 1997 13 934 
			 1998 (44) 803 
			 1999 6 747 
			 2000 6 601 
			 2001 (44) 545 
			 2002 (44) 469 
			 Total 35 4,099 
		
	
	(41) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for the years 1997 to 1999 for Scotland, 1997 to 2000 for England and Wales, and Northern Ireland, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes for 2000 to 2002 for Scotland, and 2001 to 2002 for England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. The codes used were as follows:
	Toxic effect of carbon monoxideICD-9 986; ICD-10 T58.
	The majority of deaths with a nature of injury code of toxic effect of carbon monoxide poisoning are suicides, (75 per cent. of carbon monoxide poisoning deaths in England and Wales in 1997; 69 per cent. in 2002). Some deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning are also of undetermined intent, homicides or the result of fires. A small proportion are the result of accidental poisoning (7 per cent. in England and Wales in 1997 and in 2002).
	(42) Usual residents of Kirklees metropolitan district.
	(43) Figures are based on deaths occurring in each calendar year in England and Wales, and deaths registered in each calendar year in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	(44) Fewer than five deaths.
	Sources:
	Office for National Statistics.
	General Register Office for Scotland.
	Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Champagne Imports

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many litres of champagne were imported in each year since 1999.

John Healey: The number of litres of champagne imported under Commodity Code 2204 10 11 from 1999 to 2003 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Litres of champagne 
		
		
			 1999 24,027,371 
			 2000 14,836,442 
			 2001 17,245,344 
			 2002 24,398,314 
			 2003 24,063,213 
			 1999 to 2003 104,570,684 
		
	
	Source:
	Overseas Trade Statistics, HMCE, with monthly allocation for Below Threshold Trade.

Child Tax Credits

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many awards of Child Tax Credit have been determined to have been wrongly calculated in (a) the East Midlands and (b) West Derbyshire; and of those how many were (i) too high and (ii) too low.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 22 March 2004, Official Report, column 664W.

Customs and Excise

John Grogan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the action being taken by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to combat the illegal importation of bushmeat into the United Kingdom.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 935W.
	Action to combat illegal imports of bushmeat is part of the overall strategy to tackle illegal imports of products of animal origin.

Demographics

Peter Lilley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the population increase expected under the principal projection issued by the Office for National Statistics on 18 December 2003 is due to the assumed level of net inward migration and the descendants of migrants.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 11 March 2004
	A note considering the impact of assumed net migration on projected population growth is now available on the GAD website at http://www.gad.gov.uk/Population/2002/methodology/mignote.htm

Departmental Buildings/Officials

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each.

Ruth Kelly: The total costs of refurbishment of 1 Horse Guards Road, occupied by the Treasury under a PFI Agreement in July 2002, were given in answer to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 841W. The costs of essential refurbishment and redecoration works in the two Treasury office buildings and in 11 Downing Street during the years 199798/200001 were given in answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 954W. Buildings occupied by Customs and Excise, Inland Revenue and the Valuation Office Agency were transferred to Mapeley Limited on 1 April 2001, under which fully serviced accommodation is provided. Information on any renovation and maintenance projects carried out prior to this date is not readily available and could be constructed only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings/Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte  Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG.

Ruth Kelly: Civil servants are subject to the Business Appointments Rules, which set out the circumstances in which they must seek permission to accept outside appointments within two years of leaving the service. A copy of the Rules is available in the Libraries of the House. Information about appointments taken up by the most senior staff are published in the annual reports of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The next annual report will be published shortly.
	Since 2001 one former official from the Treasury has asked for permission to join one of these organisations. Sir Steve Robson applied for, and was given, permission to undertake an appointment with KPMG. He subsequently took up this appointment.

Economic Statistics (Burton)

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs have been created in Burton constituency since 1997; and what the level of unemployment was in the Burton constituency in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Janet Dean, dated 29 March, 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about jobs created, and unemployment levels in Burton. (161837)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes, from year to year. Table A shows the number of jobs in Burton Constituency in each year from 1997 to 2002, the latest year for which information is available.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment in the Burton Parliamentary Constituency.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including parliamentary constituencies. Table B gives the annual average number of JSA claimants for the Burton Constituency for each year since 1997.
	
		Table A: Number of jobs(45)in the Burton constituency 1997 to 2002
		
			  Number of jobs 
		
		
			 1997 43,000 
			 1998 46,600 
			 1999 46,000 
			 2000 49,500 
			 2001 50,400 
			 2002 51,700 
			 Net change  
			 1997 to 2002 8,700 
		
	
	(45) Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs.
	Source
	1997; Annual Employment Survey, 19982002; Annual Business Inquiry (ABI).
	
		Table B: JSA Claimants in the Burton constituency; 1997 to 2003 annual average
		
			  JSA claimants 
		
		
			 1997 2,369 
			 1998 1,944 
			 1999 1,801 
			 2000 1,681 
			 2001 1,392 
			 2002 1,154 
			 2003 1,072 
		
	
	Source
	Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

Employment Agency Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the employment agencies which his Department has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 199697 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The following agencies have supplied temporary staff to the Department. This list has been compiled from readily available records. Analysis of all records to compile a comprehensive list would entail disproportionate cost.
	Badenoch  Clark
	Brook Street (UK) Ltd.
	Glen Recruitment
	Goodman Masson Recruitment Services Ltd.
	Hays Accountancy Personnel
	Hays IT
	Hudson Global Resources Ltd.
	Huntress Search Ltd.
	IPS Group Ltd.
	Jonathan Wren  Co. Ltd.
	Lawson Bishop Financial Ltd.
	Michael Page International
	Office Angels
	Parker Bridge Recruitment Ltd.
	St. James's Consultancy
	Stop Gap Ltd.
	Sue Hill Recruitment  Services Ltd.
	Supplypeople
	TFPL Ltd.
	TRS Management Resources (Services) Ltd..

Focus Groups and Opinion Polls

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 199596 to 200304; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Individual Savings Accounts

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his best estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer of the 10 per cent. credit that individual savings accounts receive on dividend distributions that will be abolished from April in each year since its introduction.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 23 March 2004
	Estimates of the cost of the 10 per cent, credit received by Individual Savings Accounts since their introduction is given in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 19992000 10 
			 200001 30 
			 200102 60 
			 200203 60 
			 200304 (46)70 
		
	
	(46) Provisional.

Insurance Premium Tax

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised in Insurance Premium Tax in each financial year since 199798 from (a) mortgage indemnity guarantee policies, (b) buildings insurance policies, (c) contents insurance policies and (d) private health insurance policies.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is not available. Insurance Premium Tax receipts do not separately identify the categories of insurance to which they relate.

National Trust

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from the National Trust on facilitating through financial incentives the rescue of chattels at risk in National Trust properties, where owners have retained chattels.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers have received representations from the National Trust relating to the recommendations in Sir Nicholas Goodison's report Securing the Best for Our Museums: Private Giving and Government Support, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	The Government are carefully considering Sir Nicholas' recommendations in the context of the 2004 Spending Review and alongside other ongoing work on taxes.

Pensions (Equitable Life)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made, following the publication of the Penrose Report, of (a) the percentage change in the value of an Equitable Life pension and (b) the average percentage change in the value of a with profits policy across the industry taken out (i) 20 years ago, (ii) 10 years ago and (iii) five years ago, broken down by (A) guaranteed annual return and (B) non-guaranteed annual return products.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 15 March 2004
	The information is not available in the form requested.
	Equitable Life, in common with most closed life insurance funds, does not publish comparative information of this sort.

Stamp Duty

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projections he has made for revenue from stamp duty on (a) property and (b) share transactions in each of the (i) last five and (ii) next three financial years.

Ruth Kelly: Estimates of the revenue from stamp duty on both property and share transactions in each of the last five financial years up to and including 200203 are given at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/stamp duty/03IR151.pdf.
	Estimated and projected revenues for total stamp taxes in 200304 and 200405 are published in table C8 of the Budget 2004 report. The breakdown between duty on land and property and share transactions is as follows:
	
		 billion
		
			  200304 200405 
		
		
			 Stamp taxes on:   
			 Land and property 4.9 6.2 
			 Shares 2.6 3.2

Tax Collection

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the administration costs have been, in each of the last five years, of collecting unpaid taxes.[R]

Dawn Primarolo: For years up to and including 200102, details of the duties collected by the Department and the associated costs of administering those duties can be found in Table 1 at Appendix 1 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2002 (published in December 2002).
	For 200203, comparative figures are:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 Net receipt of Inland Revenue duties 219,194.8 
			 Total cost of administering Inland Revenue duties 2,431.9

Unclaimed Assets

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the sum of unclaimed assets in (a) national savings and (b) other Government securities was on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: Unclaimed monies in the National Savings and Investments Product Accounts refer to monies where: the product has been redeemed by the Treasury; monthly interest or prizes are due; or to un-cashed Savings Stamps; and where the sums are transferable to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt. Total unclaimed monies as at 31 March 2003 were 31.9 million.
	The estimated total of unclaimed, including issued but unpresented, redemption monies and dividends on gilts on the latest date for which figures are available was around 45 million.

Unclaimed Assets

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the banks on the use of unclaimed bank accounts; and what discussions he has had with the life insurance and pensions industry on the use of unclaimed policies.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 16 March 2004
	Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives from the financial services industry and discuss a range of issues, including the use of unclaimed assets.

Unclaimed Assets

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of (a) unclaimed (b) premium bond winnings, (i) state pensions, (ii) national savings bonds and (iii) other unclaimed private savings which represents a public sector liability.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 16 March 2004
	National Savings and Investments (including Premium Bond Prizes) Unclaimed monies in the National Savings and Investments Product Accounts refer to monies where: the product has been redeemed by the Treasury; monthly interest or prizes are due; or to un-cashed Savings Stamps; and where the sums are transferable to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt. Total unclaimed monies as at 31 March 2003 were 31.9 million made up of:
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 British Savings Bonds 2,685 
			 Income Bonds 1,344 
			 Pensioners Guaranteed Income Bonds 17 
			 Premium Bonds 22,085 
			 Savings Stamps 5,781 
			 Total 31,912 
		
	
	Unclaimed State Pensions
	Information regarding the value of unclaimed State Pensions is not available. This is because there is no entitlement to a State Pension until a claim is made. Anyone who claims after reaching State Pension age may be able to receive a higher amount of State Pension when they do claim.
	Government Stocks (Gilts)
	The estimated total of unclaimed redemption money and dividends on gilts is around 31 million.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Payments (Scotland)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland were in receipt of (a) the minimum income guarantee (b) council tax benefit and (c) jobseeker's allowance in (i) 200001 and (ii) 200102.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Minimum Income Guarantee, Council Tax Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance recipients in Scotland in 2001 and 2002 -- Thousand
		
			  February 2001 February 2002 
		
		
			 Minimum Income Guarantee 173.9 181 
			 Council Tax benefit 537.4 530.3 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 109.3 102.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Minimum Income Guarantee data refers to benefit units where the claimant and/or their partner are aged 60 or over, and therefore will include some claimants aged under 60.
	2. Council Tax Benefit data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	4. Minimum Income Guarantee figures and Jobseeker's Allowance are based on a 5 per cent. sample; therefore they are subject to sampling variation.
	5. Jobseeker's Allowance figures exclude 'nil benefit' cases where claimant is in receipt of NI credits only.
	6. Council Tax Benefit figures are based on 100 per cent. counts. Figures for non-responding authorities have been estimated.
	7. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.

Benefit Payments (Scotland)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-pensioners in Scotland were in receipt of income support in (a) 200001 and (b) 200102.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Working age Income Support claimants in Scotland in 2001 and 2002 
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 February 2001 238.5 
			 February 2002 237.0 
		
	
	Note
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	2. Based on 5 per cent. sample, therefore subject to sampling variation.
	Source
	DWP-IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list each benefit available in 200405 as of right to older people, giving (a) the qualifying age and (b) the total annual Exchequer costs, broken down by uplift according to advancing age.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Benefit/entitlement Payable from age Qualification 200405 forecast expenditure( million) 
		
		
			 Winter Fuel Payments 60 Non-contributory; non-income-related. 1,740 
			 Pension Credit -Guarantee Credit 60 Dependent on income and capital. 4,940 
			 Pension Credit -Savings Credit 65 Dependent on income and capital. 1,030 
			 Contributory basic State Pension (Category A and Category B) 60 to 65 Depends on National Insurance contributions; non-income-related. 41,190 
			 Christmas Bonus 60 to 65 Non-contributory; depends on receipt of qualifying benefit. 110 
			 Additional 100 payment (one-off Budget 2004 measure) 70 Non-contributory; non-income-related. 430 
			 Free TV licences 75 Non-contributory; non-income-related. 420 
			 80+ Annual Payment (Winter Fuel Payment) 80 Non-contributory; non-income-related. 210 
			 Non-contributory basic State Pension (Category D) 80 Non-contributory; non-income-related. Depends on person: not receiving a State Pension or receiving a contributory State Pension lower than Category D rate at age 80; being resident in GB at age 80; and having lived in GB for a total of 10 years or more in any continuous period of 20 years before or after they reach age 80. 30 
			 Age Addition to basic State Pension 80 Non-contributory; non-income-related. 40 
		
	
	Notes
	1. Expenditure figures are consistent with Budget 2004 forecasts and are for GB benefit expenditure.
	2. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest 10 million.
	3. The breakdown of spending may not sum to published totals due to rounding.
	4. The figures include Pension Credit (Savings Credit) payments made to someone under age 65 if their partner is age 65 or over.
	5. The basic State Pension is paid to women from age 60 and men from age 65.
	6. The Christmas Bonus figure is for amounts paid with State Pension and Pension Credit. The Christmas Bonus can also be paid with other qualifying benefits to younger people.

Benefits Reforms (Scotland)

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce in Scotland piloted reforms to (a) incapacity benefit and (b) housing benefit.

Chris Pond: We are piloting Pathways to Work across Great Britain, a groundbreaking scheme that gives people on Incapacity Benefit access to a comprehensive range of work focused support which is already generating encouraging feedback. This scheme is currently being piloted in three areas including Renfrewshire, and will be extended to a further four areas in April 2004.
	The overall strategy for reforming Housing Benefit is to improve administration, promote choice and responsibility, enhance work incentives and reduce levels of fraud and error in the system. As part of our reforms, the Local Housing Allowance, a flat rate allowance based on household locations, family size and income, is being tested in nine pathfinder areas, including Edinburgh; the pathfinder went live on the 9 February 2004 and will run for two years.

Benefits Reforms (Scotland)

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on housing benefit reforms in Scotland.

Chris Pond: The Housing Benefit Reform Programme was launched in October 2002. Building on improvements in the administration of Housing Benefit, the overall aims of the reforms are to promote choice and responsibility, enhance work incentives, and reduce levels of fraud and error.
	The first stage was to improve administration and this is well under way. For example, between October 2002 and April 2003 we introduced a streamlined Housing Benefit reclaiming process after short periods of work, similar to the arrangements introduced for Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support in October 2001. From April 2004, we will remove the need for customers to make a new Housing Benefit claim when moving from benefit into work. Instead, this will be treated as a change in circumstances.
	The second stage is restructuring benefit support for people on low incomes. We have now introduced the 'Local Housing Allowance' in nine Pathfinder areas across Great Britain, including one in Edinburgh, which went live on the 9 February 2004. This is a flat rate allowance based on household location, family size and income. There will be a comprehensive and independent evaluation of the reforms.

Child Support Agency

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many caseworkers are employed by the Child Support Agency, broken down by region.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Jon Trickett dated 29 March 2004
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of state promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many caseworkers are employed by the Child Support Agency, broken down by region.
	The Agency conducts its business through six business units. Their geographical boundaries are described in the Agency's Business Plan. The Business Plan for 2003/04 was placed in the library of the House of Commons on 29 April 2003. The following staff are employed as caseworkers in each of these business units.
	
		
			 Business Unit Number of Staff 
		
		
			 Scotland and North East 888 
			 Wales and North West 877 
			 Eastern 868 
			 South West 754 
			 Midlands 837 
			 South East 699

Child Tax Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what correspondence his Department has sent to families relating to the transfer of the child elements of jobseeker's allowance and income support to child tax credit payments; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Chris Pond: We have written to all families on Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance in the last six months, explaining how the transfer of the child elements of their benefit to the Child Tax Credit will affect them.
	A copy of the letter is available in the Library.

Company Cars (Child Support)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will amend the regulations for the Child Support Agency so that payments given by firms to staff to enable them to obtain a car for company business are excluded as income when calculating maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the value of a company car provided by firms is counted as income by the Child Support Agency when calculating maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: Child Support regulations already provide for payments for expenses which are
	wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred in the performance of the duties of the employment to be disregarded for the purposes of maintenance calculations.
	Neither does the value of a company car count as income for such purposes.

Departmental Communications

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total expenditure on communications for his Department has been in 200304, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others.

Maria Eagle: The Department's expenditure on communications staff for 200304 is forecast to be 11,476,086. This is broken down as follows:
	(a) All GICS staff: 3,982,932
	(b) Other staff:
	(i) Press Officers 1,501,415 (GICS: 976,388also included in figure in section a. Non GICS: 525,027)
	(ii) Special Advisers. The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity. Details of the costs of Special Advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 200304 will be published shortly.
	(iii) Others: 6,968,127
	Others includes all staff working in the Communications teams of DWP, Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service, Child Support Agency; The Appeals Service and Human Resources. Their work includes: marketing (national and regional); media relations; internal communications; communication standards; information services, ie the Library, Public Enquiry Office and Knowledge Management team; intranet; internet; Planning and Finance and other support staff).
	The figures are based on average monthly salary costs for staff working in recognised communication functions. The figures do not cover all of the support staff working to communication staff in the regions as this exact figure is not known. More precise figures are not possible as not all of this information is held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Ethnic Minority Employment

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of civil servants in his Department are of Asian origin.

Maria Eagle: Based on information provided by those staff who responded to ethnicity surveys 4.2 per cent. of the Department's total staff at 29 February 2004 were of Asian origin.
	Participation in the surveys is voluntary.

EU Accession States

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had with the European Commission concerning his proposals on the application of the benefit system to citizens of EU accession states working in the UK from 1 May onwards.

Chris Pond: There have been no discussions with the EU Commission regarding the application of the benefit system to EU accession state nationals. Each member state is responsible for its own social security legislation and there is no requirement for Ministers to discuss changes with the commission.

EU Accession States

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, columns 58485W, on EU accession countries, when legislation will be brought forward on the arrangements governing the entitlement to benefits of citizens of EU accession states; whether it will be primary legislation; and whether such legislation will apply to citizens of EU accession states who are in legal employment in the UK prior to 1 May;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, columns 58485W, on EU accession countries, what definition of working legally without interruption will be used in relation to the entitlement of citizens of EU accession states to the full range of benefits after 12 months;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, columns 58485W, on EU accession countries, whether citizens of EU accession states will be entitled to claim (a) tax credits and child benefit and (b) housing benefit and council tax benefit if they are on low income, from the commencement of their legal employment in the UK.

Chris Pond: We intend to lay regulations before Parliament prior to 1 May that will make it a requirement for nationals of Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia to have the right to reside in the UK in order to claim income-related benefits.
	The Home Office will bring forward regulations shortly, regulating access to the UK labour market for EU accession state nationals, which will set out the circumstances under which they will be defined as legally working in the UK.
	Workers from the EU accession states who are working legally in the UK may, subject to the normal rules, be eligible for housing benefit, council tax benefit, child benefit and tax credits from the start of their legal employment in the UK.

Local Government Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what grants were awarded to (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley by his Department in each of the last three years that fall outside the revenue support grant.

Chris Pond: The Department for Work and Pensions pays grants to individual local authorities, rather than the county, therefore there are no figures of funding paid to Lancashire. However, the following table shows payments made in respect of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit administration to all the local authorities within Lancashire, including Chorley.
	
		Payments made in respect of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit administration to local authorities in Lancashire200102 -- 
		
			 Authority Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit 
		
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen 240,595 247,123 
			 Blackpool 373,567 235,413 
			 Burnley 174,315 127,130 
			 Chorley 100,743 99,509 
			 Fylde 83,866 59,568 
			 Hyndburn 129,842 117,234 
			 Lancaster 215,292 158,685 
			 Pendle 114,019 108,291 
			 Preston 218,990 200,902 
			 Ribble Valley 31,545 32,094 
			 Rossendale 88,990 87,089 
			 South Ribble 99,727 87,196 
			 West Lancashire 131,420 151,054 
			 Wyre 132,028 93,021 
			 Total 2,134,939 1,804,309 
		
	
	
		200203 -- 
		
			 Authority Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit Pension Credit/New Tax Credit Set-up 
		
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen 331,141 253,899 69,435 
			 Blackpool 402,393 250,099 75,691 
			 Burnley 181,377 138,010 42,124 
			 Chorley 105,067 102,465 30,834 
			 Fylde 92,439 62,171 25,574 
			 Hyndburn 132,220 120,417 35,331 
			 Lancaster 210,295 161,372 47,170 
			 Pendle 128,827 125,996 35,797 
			 Preston 202,377 196,520 44,391 
			 Ribble Valley 33,097 33,746 16,718 
			 Rossendale 91,393 87,927 27,973 
			 South Ribble 107,632 90,286 29,906 
			 West Lancashire 131,613 150,871 38,267 
			 Wyre 134,328 107,525 34,355 
			 Total 2,284,199 1,881,304 553,566 
		
	
	
		200304 -- 
		
			 Authority Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit New Tax Credit Pension Credit New Tax Credit-special provision Pension Credit Set-up 
		
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen 671,852 493,065 36,851 80,123 10,050 15,841 
			 Blackpool 883,229 520,812 44,471 100,128 12,128 18,600 
			 Burnley 450,336 300,367 23,808 55,492 6,493 11,119 
			 Chorley 222,698 210,433 13,712 42,146 3,740 7,464 
			 Fylde 191,921 126,467 10,078 30,255 2,748 6,148 
			 Hyndburn 310,988 261,308 18,141 47,450 4,947 9,067 
			 Lancaster 450,406 328,724 24,668 65,083 6,728 11,430 
			 Pendle 292,769 275,667 18,014 49,208 4,913 9,022 
			 Preston 446,490 390,722 26,507 69,737 7,229 12,096 
			 Ribble Valley 70,656 68,923 4,419 15,535 1 ,205 4,100 
			 Rossendale 184,444 177,927 11,466 38,042 3,127 6,651 
			 South Ribble 218,022 182,068 12,660 39,154 3,453 7,083 
			 West Lancashire 275,538 308,280 18,480 63,352 5,040 9,190 
			 Wyre 284,734 238,517 16,575 49,325 4,520 8,500 
			 Total 4,954,083 3,883,280 279,850 745,030 76,321 136,311 
		
	
	Note:
	Prior to 200304, the Department for Work and Pensions distributed half of the available grant for administration costs for Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit. The other half was distributed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive. From 200304 these two elements were brought together, with DWP distributing the total amount of the grant.
	Source:
	DWP Data.
	Additional payments have been made under the Performance Standards Fund and the Help Fund.
	The Performance Standards describe action needed to administer Housing Benefit effectively and securely, and address all aspects of administration. A three year fund of 200 million has been available since April 2003 to help local authorities achieve these standards. The Performance Standards Fund provides substantial help through, for example, investment in recruitment, training and better IT. 254 local authorities have already benefited from the first awards which are worth a total of 47 million. The local authorities range from small districts to large metropolitan councils across England, Scotland and Wales.
	
		Performance Standards Fund -- 
		
			 Authority 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen  119,488 
			 Blackpool  40,833 
			 Lancaster  80,257 
			 Rossendale 20,030 244,539 
			 West Lancashire  43,357 
			 Wyre  117,557 
		
	
	In 200102 a Help Fund award of 132,114.00 was made to Pendle, the lead authority for the Lancashire Benefits Consortium. This was a multiple bid with the following authorities: Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Wyre.
	In 200203, Help Fund awards were made to Blackpool of 29,554.40 (this was for two separate bids, one of 3,554.40, and one of 26,000.00), Lancaster was awarded 28,500.00, and Pendle was awarded 35,000.00 (this was a single authority bid).
	Blackpool was also awarded a payment of 18,739 in November 2003 to cover the start-up costs incurred as a Standard Local Housing Allowance Pathfinder authority.

Habitual Residence Test

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what way the habitual residence test for the purposes of claiming benefits on the part of citizens of EU accession states working in the UK from 1 May onwards will differ from the habitual residence test for the purposes of the income tax regime applicable to such workers.

Chris Pond: The habitual residence test that is used to determine eligibility for benefits by this Department is unrelated to measures used by the Inland Revenue to determine liability for income tax. There is no habitual residence test for income tax.

Health and Safety at Work

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will contribute to activities in relation to Workers Memorial Day on 28 April to help raise awareness of health and safety issues within the workplace.

Des Browne: I agree that as Minister for Work it is important I give my support for International Workers Memorial Day on 28 April.
	We must remember and pay tribute to the men and women who have been killed, injured or made ill by work. We should not forget them and the Memorial Day is an opportunity for many people to think about those they have lost. For those of us who are engaged with keeping workers safe and healthy the Workers Memorial Day reminds us of the need to continue improving workplace health and safety.
	I will be writing to Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, in support of the many activities trade unions are organising for the day. The TUC's online 'Book of Remembrance' is an innovative and moving initiative and I commend everybody to read it.
	Our continuing aim is, of course, to reduce the number of workers that we remember with sadness.

Incapacity Benefit

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria he will apply to determine whether incapacity benefit needs to be reviewed as part of the Pathway to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Pathways to Work pilots are intended to provide much greater levels of encouragement and assistance to claimants of incapacity benefits in order to enable greater numbers to realise their aspirations of getting back to work. As part of these pilots we are ensuring the initial Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) is completed in a more timely manner than at present, to fit more appropriately with the work-related support we are offering. However, there are no changes to the nature of the PCA assessment for benefit purposes, the threshold for satisfying the PCA, or the way in which PCA review dates are set.

Incapacity Benefit

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people from whom incapacity benefit will be removed during the next year; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: People may cease to receive Incapacity Benefit (IB) for a number of reasons, including an improvement in their condition or a return to work.
	We have made no estimate of the number of people who will cease to be entitled to IB during the next year.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list in relation to incapacity benefit the sub-categories of payment made on mental health grounds.

Maria Eagle: Entitlement to Incapacity Benefit (IB) is not based on any particular diagnosis; instead, it is based on a functional assessment of how a person's medical condition or disability affects their ability to perform day-to-day activities related to work. There are no sub-categories of IB payment that are related to the claimant's condition.

Jobcentre Plus

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Jobcentre Plus has an incentive payments system to encourage senior managers to employ more people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Jobcentre Plus is positive about employing disabled people. The Agency, as part of the Department for Work and Pensions, operates a guaranteed interview scheme, and has aspirational targets for the number of disabled people it employs in middle and senior management. Later this year, the Department intends to improve its data on the number of disabled people it employs by re-surveying all our staff. There is no incentive payment system to encourage senior managers to employ more disabled people.

Jobcentre Plus

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by (a) Jobcentres and (b) Jobcentre Plus in each year since 1997; and how many unemployed people were served by those jobcentres in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 29 March 2004
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by jobcentres and subsequently Jobcentre Plus in each year since 1997; and how many unemployed people were served by those jobcentres in each year since 1997. This is something, which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	The information you have asked for can be found in the table below.
	
		
			 Year Staff (FTE)at 30 April Unemployedat May 
		
		
			 Employment Service   
			 1997 31,550 1,562,400 
			 1998 30,796 1,295,800 
			 1999 32,675 1,224,500 
			 2000 32,620 1,067,300 
			 2001 34,110 942,000 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus   
			 2002 85,020 918,500 
			 2003 80,170 924,000 
			 2004 81,781(as at 31 January 2004)  
		
	
	Source:
	Civil Service Statistics and Nomis
	It may be helpful if I explain that Jobcentre Plus came into existence in April 2002, bringing together staff from the Employment Service and part of the Benefits Agency. It deals with both claims and payments of all working age benefits as well as job-finding activities. Data on staff is collected by grade rather than job role and it is not possible to identify accurately the number of staff working in front facing customer service posts from this information.

Partnerships Against Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Partnership against Poverty Scotland in relation to its aims; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for Scotland was established in 2000 with the following terms of reference:
	to draw together the DWP Pension Service, local authorities, major voluntary organisations and organisations representing ethnic minority pensioners to evaluate existing work on the take-up of social security benefits;
	to consider new initiatives and to help inform the development of a co-ordinated approach to benefit take-up;
	to contribute to the development of new business processes, training, forms and leaflets to encourage take-up;
	to identify and address barriers to take-up;
	to consider which organisations are best placed to lead on take-up initiatives and to consider resourcing of initiatives.
	The group normally meets four times a year and has taken an active role in the review and development of claim forms and information leaflets for Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and, most recently, Pension Credit. The group has also been influential in the development of short version application forms and simplified customer service and business processes for older people's services; and in the development of new initiatives to promote benefit take-up. The group have also been positively involved in research into the delivery of services to ethnic minority communities and supportive in the development of policies and strategies to address the issues raised.
	All parties involved value the opportunity to work in partnership to develop the most effective solutions to the issue of poverty among older people.

Partnerships Against Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department granted to Partnership against Poverty Scotland in each year since 1997; and how many people it employed in each year.

Chris Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for Scotland was established in 2000 and does not receive any funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), neither does the group employ any staff.
	Administrative support for the group is provided by DWP which also provides refreshments and a location for meetings.

Partnerships Against Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the aims are of Partnerships Against Poverty England and Wales; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness against those aims; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for England and Wales was established in 2000 with the following terms of reference:
	to draw together the DWP Pension Service, local authorities, major voluntary organisations and organisations representing ethnic minority pensioners to evaluate existing work on the take-up of social security benefits;
	to consider new initiatives and to help inform the development of a co-ordinated approach to benefit take-up;
	to contribute to the development of new business processes, training, forms and leaflets to encourage take-up;
	to identify and address barriers to take-up;
	to consider which organisations are best placed to lead on take-up initiatives and to consider resourcing of initiatives.
	The group normally meets four times a year and has taken an active role in the review and development of claim forms and information leaflets for Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and, most recently, Pension Credit. The group has also been influential in the development of short version application forms and simplified customer service and business processes for older people's services; and in the development of new initiatives to promote benefit take-up.
	The group has also been positively involved in research into the delivery of services to ethnic minority communities and supportive in the development of policies and strategies to address the issues raised.
	All parties involved value the opportunity to work in partnership to develop the most effective solutions to the issue of poverty among older people.

Partnerships Against Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department granted to Partnerships Against Poverty England and Wales in each year since 1997; and how many people it employed in each year.

Chris Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for England and Wales was established in 2000 and does not receive any funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), neither does the group employ any staff.
	Administrative support for the group is provided by DWP which also provides refreshments and a location for meetings.

Pension Credit

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what requests for resources relate to the administration costs of the pension credit;
	(2)  what plans he has to collate information on the cost of administering pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: Provision for the administration costs of pension credit is included in Request for Resources 3 of the Department's 200304 Supply Estimate, Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners, as amended by the 200304 Spring Supplementary Estimate. This is available in the Library.
	The Department is developing a resource management system which will include the provision of activity based information. The aim is to implement the system from September 2005 and detailed implementation plans will be produced as part of the development phase of the project. Decisions on whether the activity based information will identify the specific administration costs of pension credit cases will be made as part of the Resource Management Project.

Poverty Threshold

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many (a) families and (b) children in (i) the UK and (ii) Cheltenham have ceased to live below the poverty threshold since 1997;
	(2)  how many (a) families and (b) children in (i) the UK and (ii) Cheltenham he estimates are living below the poverty threshold.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for City of York (Hugh Bayley) on 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 462W.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Greater London, broken down by borough, have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant.

Chris Pond: holding answer 26 March 2004
	The information is not available.
	Note:
	1. Social Fund data is held on the Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS). PBMIS does not hold data broken down by borough or for the Greater London area.

Underoccupation

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether he has commissioned a final assessment of the pilot underoccupier incentive scheme in Croydon, Haringey and Newham;
	(2)  how many tenants who traded down in (a) Croydon, (b) Haringey and (c) Newham received a social security payment to reduce underoccupation as part of the pilot underoccupier incentive scheme.

Chris Pond: The pilot underoccupier incentive scheme was discontinued after the evaluation of the first full year in 2001. No further assessment of the scheme was commissioned.
	The evaluation of the first full year of the scheme was published as Evaluation of Department for Work and Pensions Underoccupier Incentive Scheme In-House Report No. 99, April 2002. Figures for the number of tenants trading down were included in the report.

Websites

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost in (a) financial and (b) other terms was in (i) each financial year since 1997 and (ii) 200304 until the latest date for which figures are available of (A) developing and (B) maintaining (1) his Department's website and (2) each website for which his Department is responsible; and how many (C) unique hosts and (D) hits there were in each month for each website in (iii) each financial year since 1997 and (iv) 200304 until the latest date for which numbers are available.

Maria Eagle: Development for the DWP website, agency and other campaign websites is carried out by the Department's own in-house web team who are responsible for production, management and maintenance of all sites.
	Contracted and quantifiable costs are included, where available, in the following information. It is not possible to quantify internal costs for each site.
	The department's IT contractor provides hosting of departmental sites, and provision of web hosting services. However, internet services are not accounted for separately and it is not possible to disentangle these costs. Web hosting is included within the quantified maintenance costs for the Jobcentre Plus and Worktrain websites.
	The following tables provide a list of all departmental sites showing hits on a monthly basis from January 2003.
	Total annual hits for the main departmental sites over the last four years, together with quantifiable development and maintenance costs, are as follows:
	
		DWP www.dwp.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development Maintenance 
		
		
			 200203 22,394,004   
			 200102 (47)20,004,808 48,143  
			 200001 36,415,365   
			 19992000 32,487,969 152,000  
			 199899 21,980,416   
		
	
	(47) launch of Jobcentre Plus and Pensions Service websites.
	Note:
	The Department's website was launched in June 2001 and replaced the former Department of Social Security site www. dss.gov.uk
	
		CSA www.csa.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development Maintenance 
		
		
			 200203 7,888,168   
			 200102 (48)7,171,168   
		
	
	(48) Unavailable prior to these dates.
	
		Jobcentre Plus www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development Maintenance 
		
		
			 200304 (49)458,762,980 1,048,089 385,992 
			 200203 553,074,373 492,730 270,555 
			 200102 (50)651,548 153,961 113,368 
		
	
	(49) to date
	(50) launched October 2001.
	
		The Pension Service www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development Maintenance 
		
		
			 200304 (51)37,713,725 186,950  
			 200203 31,389,060 188,093  
			 200102 (52)217,556 237,577  
		
	
	(51) to date
	(52) launched November 2001.
	
		Worktrain www.worktrain.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development (53)Maintenance 
		
		
			 200304 (54)431,904,963 1,362,057 847,838 
			 200102 417,416,769 1,942,769 1,022,764 
			 200001 206,974,112 1,725,827 1,072,118 
			 19992000 (55)13,435,679 1,511,487 639,766 
			 199899  59,422  
		
	
	(53) maintenance and development costs incorporates Worktrain For Advisers.
	(54) to date
	(55) launched March 2001.
	
		Worktrain www.worktrainforadvisers.gov.uk
		
			  Annual hits Development Maintenance 
		
		
			 200304 (56)677,306 (58) (58) 
			 200102 (57)109,596 (58) (58) 
		
	
	(56) to date
	(57) launched September 2002.
	(58) maintenance and development costs incorporated with Worktrain.

Winter Fuel Payment

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of senior citizens in (a) Greater London and (b) each Greater London borough received the winter fuel allowance in each year since its inception.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of people in Greater London and each Greater London local authority who have received a Winter Fuel Payment since winter 19992000 is in the table. Figures for previous years are not available. We are not able to provide an accurate estimate of the percentage of people receiving a Winter Fuel Payment.
	
		Winter Fuel Payment recipients, winter 19992000 to 200304
		
			  Winter 
			 Region/Local authority 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 London GOR 1,012,790 1,084,350 1,080,395 1,082,400 1,071,295 
			   
			 Inner LondonWest 119,940 125,585 124,715 124,865 123,170 
			 Camden 24,920 26,160 25,835 25,815 25,470 
			 City of London 1,030 1,080 1,035 1,060 1,055 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 18,845 19,760 19,765 19,785 19,470 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 17,315 18,330 18,385 18,740 18,670 
			 Wandsworth 32,775 34,320 33,805 33,525 32,950 
			 Westminster 25,055 25,935 25,890 25,940 25,560 
			 Inner LondonEast 207,580 217,740 215,230 214,035 210,295 
			 Hackney 21,510 22,365 22,055 21,985 21,505 
			 Haringey 25,090 26,830 26,820 26,965 26,670 
			 Islington 21,680 22,615 22,435 22,335 22,090 
			 Lambeth 29,015 30,535 30,145 29,990 29,575 
			 Lewisham 32,770 34,545 34,225 34,235 33,720 
			 Newham 26,190 27,800 27,320 26,955 26,460 
			 Southwark 28,790 29,930 29,570 29,295 28,650 
			 Tower Hamlets 22,525 23,110 22,665 22,275 21,625 
			   
			 Outer LondonEast and North East 252,050 272,715 271,755 271,850 269,280 
			 Barking and Dagenham 27,035 28,510 27,895 27,495 26,685 
			 Bexley 39,125 43,250 43,185 43,565 43,560 
			 Enfield 42,470 45,970 46,030 46,205 45,810 
			 Greenwich 31,410 33,475 33,235 33,015 32,475 
			 Havering 44,245 48,570 48,705 48,990 49,070 
			 Redbridge 37,130 40,160 40,285 40,290 39,905 
			 Waltham Forest 30,635 32,780 32,415 32,285 31,770 
			   
			 Outer LondonSouth 182,720 197,655 198,030 199,130 197,990 
			 Bromley 55,815 60,630 60,840 61,515 61,385 
			 Croydon 48,260 52,395 52,710 52,990 52,860 
			 Kingston upon Thames 22,225 23,830 23,830 23,910 23,650 
			 Merton 26,775 28,595 28,405 28,395 27,945 
			 Sutton 29,650 32,205 32,245 32,320 32,145 
			   
			 Outer LondonWest and North West 250,505 270,650 270,665 272,520 270,565 
			 Barnet 49,805 53,090 52,855 53,315 52,875 
			 Brent 33,105 35,905 36,155 36,670 36,540 
			 Ealing 39,360 42,435 42,475 42,710 42,350 
			 Harrow 33,680 36,765 36,930 37,250 37,215 
			 Hillingdon 38,575 42,015 41,930 42,055 41,710 
			 Hounslow 28,820 31,310 31,320 31,455 31,090 
			 Richmond upon Thames 27,155 29,130 29,000 29,065 28,780 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Please note that these figures for 200304 refer only to the main payment run ie they do not include the late payment run figures .We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). However, since late payment runs are mainly in respect of non-system cases whose claim had not been received by qualifying week, they are heavily skewed towards men aged 60.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

Winter Fuel Payment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Stroud constituency have benefited from the winter fuel allowance in each year since its inception.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of people in the Stroud constituency who have received a Winter Fuel Payment since winter 19992000 is in the table. Figures for previous years are not available.
	
		Stroud constituency: winter fuel payment
		
			  Payments made 
		
		
			 19992000 19,625 
			 200001 21,695 
			 200102 22,015 
			 200203 22,535 
			 200304 22,815 
		
	
	Notes
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Please note that these figures for 200304 refer only to the main payment run i.e. they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). However, since late payment runs are mainly in respect of non-system cases whose claim had not been received by Qualifying Week, they are heavily skewed towards men aged 60.
	Source
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

Working at Height Regulations

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from mountaineering organisations in relation to the Health and Safety Executive's proposed regulation for working at height; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: My right hon. Friend has received 11 letters in the past year with regard to the impact of proposed Work at Height Regulations on outdoor activities, such as climbing, caving, hill walking, and mountaineering. None of these letters were sent by mountaineering organisations, although two of the letters expressed specific concern about how the proposed regulations would impact on mountaineering.

Working at Height Regulations

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has conducted into the impact of the Health and Safety Executive's proposed regulation for working at height upon (a) mountaineering, (b) hill walking, (c) abseiling, (d) rock climbing and (e) caving; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: HSE has sanctioned research to identify some generic principles for risk assessment and decision-making relating to rope working in mountaineering, caving and similar activities.
	However, the regulations are expected to have little impact on these activities where the organisations concerned fully comply with the existing standards and practices laid down by their governing bodies.

Working at Height Regulations

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Health and Safety Executive's proposed regulations for working at height on the rural economy; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: While the impact on the rural economy has not been estimated, the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Work at Height Regulations states that 'the costs per business are only around 100 per year'. However, it is worth noting that falls from height are the second largest factor in work place fatalities in the agricultural sector, resulting in 75 fatalities in the past 10 years, and such accidents damage the viability of rural businesses.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Mortgages

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many heads of households (a) below and (b) above retirement age had a mortgage on the latest date for which figures are available.

Keith Hill: Using data from the Survey of English Housing (SEH) for the first three-quarters of the 200304, the estimated number of household reference persons 1 (HRPs) in England that have a mortgage and are (a) below retirement age was 8,196,000 (55 per cent. of HRPs in this age group), (b) above retirement age was 307,000 (5 per cent. of HRPs in this age group).
	1 The figures provided relate to household reference persons rather than to head of households as in the question because from April 2001 the SEH in common with other Government surveys replaced the traditional concept of the head of the household by household reference person. This is the householder with the highest income. The definition of the household reference person, unlike the old head of household definition, no longer gives automatic priority to male partners.

Balance of Funding Review

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made as part of the current Balance of Funding Review of the conclusions of the Layfield Committee's report in 1974 concerning a combination of property tax and income tax.

Phil Hope: The remit of the Balance of Funding Review is to review all aspects of the balance of funding, review the evidence, and look at reform options. Evidence presented by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy to the Review Steering Group on 4 March has looked at many of the practical details of a possible local income tax, including some of the effects of combining it with council tax.

Balance of Funding Review

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures have been taken to ensure that the Balance of Funding Review in England and the concurrent review commissioned in Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government co-operate effectively where appropriate.

Phil Hope: An observer for the Welsh Assembly Government sits at meetings of the Balance of Funding Review in England. The two reviews are sharing material where appropriate.

Balance of Funding Review

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made in the Balance of Funding Review of a local income tax on individuals differentiated by income and property value.

Phil Hope: The Balance of Funding Review Steering Group has heard evidence on the pros and cons of a number of options for reform raised in its public consultation. It heard from the New Policy Institute on 15 January on possible reforms to council tax, and from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on 4 March on the introduction of a local income tax.

Car Parking

Christopher Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the research on car parking in sustainable environments will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: This research is due to be completed by the end of April. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will then make arrangements for making it publicly available. This report is intended to assist local authorities in setting appropriate standards that can deliver well-designed sustainable residential environments, in both rural and urban areas, as is required by PPG3.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also intends that key messages in this report will form part of the revised guidance on the design and layout of residential streets, which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Department for Transport will jointly produce.

Correspondence

David Heath: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library his letter to the chairman of the Electoral Commission dated 22 March.

Nick Raynsford: A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of both Houses on Thursday 25 March 2004.

Council Houses

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty council house properties there are in North Tyneside.

Keith Hill: The position on empty council houses in North Tyneside as at week ending 21 March 2004 is as follows.
	
		
			  Voids 
		
		
			 Category 1 and 2 Voids(59) 200 
			 Category 3 Voids(60) 30 
			 Difficult to Let 137 
			 Long Term Voids(61) 96 
			 Total Number 463 
		
	
	(59) Minor/major repairs
	(60) Major repairs
	(61) Held for disposal, demolition, decant, suspended, etc.
	Note:
	This represents 2.66 per cent. of total stock

Department-Sponsored Bodies

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total budget, (b) funding from his Department, (c) administration budget and (d) staff cost to his Department for the review of the needs indices used in the allocation of housing capital resources to local authorities and registered social landlords were for financial years (i) 200203 and (ii) 200304; and if he will make a statement on the (A) current and (B) future work of the review.

Keith Hill: The staff and other costs of the regular updating and periodic review of the needs indices used in the allocation of housing capital resources are not identified separately from other activity on allocation of housing capital resources. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be looking at the future role and development of these indices in the 2004 Spending Review.

Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the effective increase in the Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority's precept for the next financial year; and if he will cap the authority.

Nick Raynsford: Alternative notional amounts for the 200304 budgets of authorities affected by combined fire authorities precepting for the first time in 200405 were laid in Parliament on 25 March in the Limitation of Council Tax and Precepts (Alternative Notional Amounts) Report (England) 2004/05. The report is subject to the approval of Parliament.
	In the case of the Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority, the alternative notional amount shown in the draft report equals the figure shown in Fire Service Circular 7/2004, issued on 24 February 2004. Circular 7/2004 also stated the corresponding indicative Band D council tax for the authority for 200304 as 46.54.
	The Band D council tax set by the Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority for 200405 is 60.21. This was published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 25 March in Table 2 of News Release 2004/0069 at: http://www.Iocal.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax045.htm
	We need to consider the 200405 budget information that we have received from local authorities before taking decisions on capping. We aim to notify authorities that may be in line for capping by the end of April.

Homeless People

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people in London were (a) rough sleepers, (b) sleeping in hostels and (c) in homeless accommodation in the last period for which information is available.

Yvette Cooper: The latest local authority Housing Investment Programme returns for spring 2003 show that there were 267 rough sleepers in London.
	The number of people sleeping in hostels is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, latest information shows that there are around 19,000 hostel bed spaces in London where typically there is 95 per cent. occupancy on any single night.
	The latest statutory homelessness statistical returns for December 2003 show that in London there were 57,410 homeless households in all forms of temporary accommodation.

House Buyers (Protection)

Mark Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the protection afforded to purchasers of new homes; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Almost all new home buyers have protection under new home warranty schemes, in addition to any other contractual, statutory or common law rights they may have. The Home Information Pack will ensure that prospective buyers of new homes have good information on such matters as contract terms and warranty cover before they decide whether to go ahead with the purchase.
	In addition, the final report of the Barker Review of Housing Supply sets out a series of challenging reform proposals to the house building industry to increase customer satisfaction, tackle skills shortages, increase the flow of new houses on to the market and improve design and the use of modem methods of construction. The Government and the industry must work together in partnership to deliver these reforms. The Government will review progress made by summer 2005.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies his Department is conducting into tenant satisfaction (a) in council housing, (b) in registered social landlord housing and (c) (i) before and (ii) after transfer in large scale voluntary transfers; and if he will publish the figures for tenant satisfaction.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has published data for tenant satisfaction (a) in council housing, (b) in registered social landlord housing and (c) (i) before and (ii) after transfer in large scale voluntary transfers.
	The data has been derived from the Survey of English Housing and is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.
	The path to reach the Survey of English Housing section of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website for data on tenant satisfaction in (a) council housing and (b) registered social landlord housing is:
	HomeHousingHousing researchHousing surveysSurvey of English HousingLive tablesSatisfaction withlandlordTables
	The path to reach the Survey of English Housing section of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website for data on tenant satisfaction in (i) before and (ii) after transfer in large scale voluntary transfers is:
	HomeHousingHousing researchHousing surveysSurvey of English HousingLive tablesSocial rentersTables S407, S408 and S455.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many tenants' ballots on housing transfer have been held since 1999; where each ballot was held 
	(1)  what percentage of tenants voted; and what the percentage (a) for and (b) against (i) large scale voluntary transfer and (ii) arm's length management organisation was in each case;
	(2)  what percentage of tenants voted in each of the ballots on large scale voluntary transfer and arm's length management since 1999; and in each case, what the percentage voting in favour was as a proportion of the total number of tenants eligible.

Keith Hill: There have been 133 tenants ballots for transfer and 25 tenants ballots for Arms Length Management (ALMO) since 1999. Details are tabled.
	
		Large scale voluntary transfers since 1999
		
			 Local Authority Ballot turnout percentage In favour percentage Against percentage Percentage in favour as a proportion of those eligible to vote Percentage against as a proportion of those eligible to vote 
		
		
			 Allerdale BC 76 93 7 71 5 
			 Allerdale BC Salterbeck 76 96 4 73 3 
			 Amber Valley BC 72 57 43 41 31 
			 Barnsley 84 48 52 40 44 
			 Bath and North East Somerset C 71 58 42 41 30 
			 Birmingham 66 33 67 22 44 
			 Birmingham C Central Areas 64 62 38 40 24 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 62 85 15 53 9 
			 Boston BC 76 60 40 46 30 
			 BradfordThorpe Edge 84 38 62 32 52 
			 Bromsgrove 68 68 32 46 22 
			 Burnley BC 75 91 9 68 7 
			 Calderdale MBC 62 68 32 42 20 
			 Cambridge 72 40 61 28 44 
			 Carlisle CC 67 52 48 35 32 
			 Chelmsford BC 78 56 44 44 35 
			 Cherwell 73 59 41 43 30 
			 Chester CC 69 67 33 46 23 
			 Chichester DC 74 81 19 60 14 
			 City of Bradford 66 62 38 41 25 
			 Copeland 60 78 22 47 13 
			 County of Herefordshire C 73 58 42 42 31 
			 Coventry CC 58 55 45 32 26 
			 Craven DC 80 76 24 60 19 
			 Crewe and Nantwich BC 73 65 35 47 26 
			 Derbyshire Dales 715 69 31 53 23 
			 Dudley 70 44 56 31 39 
			 Ealing Havelock 78 48 52 37 41 
			 East Hertfordshire DC 76 78 22 59 16 
			 East Hertfordshire DC 73 75 25 55 18 
			 East Lindsey DC 85 60 40 51 34 
			 East Northamptonshire DC 75 92 8 69 6 
			 East Staffordshire BC 66 78 23 51 15 
			 Elmbridge BC 73 66 34 48 25 
			 Erewash BC 71 75 25 53 18 
			 Fareham 77 50 50 38 39 
			 Fenland 72 36 64 26 46 
			 Forest Heath 72 58 42 42 30 
			 Forest of Dean DC 74 69 31 51 23 
			 Fylde BC 75 74 26 56 20 
			 Hartlepool 70 75 25 53 18 
			 Horsham DC 74 63 37 46 27 
			 Huntingdon DC 63 75 25 47 16 
			 Knowsley MBC 59 74 26 44 15 
			 LB Enfield 78 82 18 64 14 
			 LB Greenwich Charlton Triangle 76 84 16 64 12 
			 LB Hackney Upper Clapton 76 66 34 50 26 
			 LB Hackney Sheltered Stock 91 70 30 64 27 
			 LB Hackney Haggerston 80 59 41 47 33 
			 LB Hackney Morningside 73 63 37 46 27 
			 LB Hackney Kings Crescent 85 79 21 67 18 
			 LB Hackney Pembury Estate 79 83 17 66 13 
			 LB Hackney Stamford Hill 83 60 40 50 33 
			 LB Hammersmith and Fulham Old Oak 83 83 17 69 14 
			 LB Harrow 78 75 25 58 20 
			 LB Islington Ten Estates 78 80 20 62 16 
			 LB Islington Barnsbury 73 83 17 61 12 
			 LB Lambeth Central Stockwell 68 71 29 48 20  
			 LB Lambeth St. Martins 67 78 22 52 15 
			 LB Richmond 64 64 36 41 23 
			 LB Tower Hamlets Poplar I 73 75 25 55 18 
			 LB Tower Hamlets THCH 67 52 49 34 32 
			 LB Waltham Forest 65 62 38 40 25 
			 Lewisham 51 30 70 15 35 
			 Liverpool CC Pinehurst 91 67 33 61 30 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern Fringe (Central) 66 88 12 58 8 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern Fringe (South) 68 79 21 54 14 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern Fringe (North) 65 66 34 43 22 
			 Liverpool CC Speke Garston 78 85 15 66 12 
			 Liverpool Kensington 67 61 39 41 26 
			 Maidstone BC 70 61 39 43 27 
			 Manchester CC Darnhill 85 92 8 78 7 
			 Manchester CC (Colshaw Farm) 87 97 3 84 3 
			 Manchester CC (East Manchester) 76 90 10 68 8 
			 Manchester CC Handforth Estate 87 92 8 80 7 
			 Manchester CC Langley Estate 76 90 10 68 7 
			 Manchester CC Sale Estate 82 93 7 76 5 
			 Manchester CC Whitefield Estate 87 95 5 83 4 
			 Manchester CC East Wythenshawe 80 90 10 72 8 
			 Mendip DC 74 65 35 48 26 
			 Merton 66 49 52 32 34 
			 Mid-Bedfordshire DC 73 51 49 37 36 
			 Middlesbrough 60 77 23 46 14 
			 Newcastle Under Lyme BC 74 75 25 56 19 
			 North Devon DC 76 72 28 55 21 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 69 60 40 41 28 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 70 40 60 28 42 
			 Oldham MBC Fitton Hill 61 83 17 51 10 
			 Oldham MBC Limeside (Hollins/The Avenues) 71 87 13 62 9 
			 Peterborough 64 82 19 52 12 
			 Preston BC Avenham 82 91 9 75 7 
			 Purbeck 79 70 30 55 24 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC 71 89 11 63 8 
			 Reigate and Banstead BC 74 80 20 59 15 
			 Restormel BC 80 84 16 67 12 
			 Rushcliffe BC 80 52 48 42 38 
			 Scarborough BC 80 72 28 57 23 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham BC 75 65 35 49 26 
			 South Bedfordshire 72 28 72 20 52 
			 South Hams DC 82 81 19 66 16 
			 South Norfolk 78 68 32 53 25 
			 South Somerset DC 77 50 50 39 39 
			 Southend on Sea 68 49 51 34 35 
			 Southwark Aylesbury Estate 76 27 73 20 55 
			 St. Edmundsbury 74 71 29 53 21 
			 St. Helens MBC 70 84 16 59 12 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands DC 75 66 34 50 26 
			 Stockport 65 45 55 29 36 
			 Stroud 77 22 78 17 60 
			 Sunderland CC 73 88 12 64 9 
			 Tameside 69 62 38 43 26 
			 Tameside West Ashton 75 64 36 48 27 
			 Tameside MBC 69 64 36 44 25 
			 Teignbridge 81 65 36 52 29 
			 Telford and Wrekin C 74 79 21 58 16 
			 Test Valley BC 73 69 31 50 22 
			 Tollington 71 37 63 26 44 
			 Torbay BC 77 72 28 56 22 
			 Tower HamletsPoplar 74 44 56 33 41 
			 Tynedale DC 77 80 20 62 15 
			 Vale Royal BC 72 85 15 61 11 
			 Walsall MBC (Majority of Stock) 71 71 29 50 21 
			 Walsall MBC (Tenant Managed Stock) 63 74 26 47 16 
			 Waverley 78 43 57 34 44 
			 West Devon BC 79 81 19 64 15 
			 West Lindsey DD 77 79 21 61 16 
			 West Oxfordshire DC 77 66 34 51 26 
			 West Wiltshire DC 77 66 34 51 26 
			 Weymouth and Portland C 76 72 28 55 21 
			 Worcester 72 75 25 54 18 
			 Worthing BC 76 69 31 52 24 
			 Wycombe 69 48 52 33 35 
			 Wyre Forest DC 66 80 20 53 13 
		
	
	
		ALMO Ballotscomplete list at 22March 2004
		
			 Local Authority Turnout percentage In favour as percentageof votes Against as percentageof votes Percentage in favour as a proportion of those eligible to vote Percentage against as a proportion of those eligible to vote 
		
		
			 ALMO Round 1  
			 Derby 48 88 12 42 6 
			 Hounslow 35 83 17 29 6 
			 Kirklees 47 81 19 38 9 
			 Rochdale 46 90 10 '41 5 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 44 93 7 41 3 
			   
			 ALMO Round 2  
			 Barnsley 25 57 43 14 11 
			 Carrick 61 96 4 59 2 
			 Colchester 57 76 24 43 14 
			 LeedsEast 35 83 17 29 6 
			 LeedsNorth East 41 88 12 36 5 
			 LeedsNorth West 42 89 11 37 5 
			 LeedsSouth 39 91 9 35 4 
			 LeedsSouth East 40 88 12 35 5 
			 LeedsWest 38 90 10 34 4 
			 Waltham Forest 49 85 15 42 7 
			   
			 ALMO Round 3  
			 Camden 30 23 77 7 23 
			 High Peak 60 98 2 59 1 
			 Islington 27 85 15 23 4 
			 Sheffield: Brightside and Shiregreen 42 78 22 33 9 
			 Sheffield: Central Area 47 87 13 41 6 
			 South Lakeland 65 88 12 57 8 
			   
			 ALMO Round 4bids  
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 81 19 32 8 
			 Sheffield: Hillsborough, Nether Thorpe 45 87 13 39 6 
			 Sheffield: Westfield, Hackenthorpe 43 89 11 38 5 
			 Sheffield: Parson Cross, Foxhill, Longley 38 94 6 36 2

Local Government Finance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1710W, on local government finance (Isle of Wight), what his grant to the Isle of Wight Council was for 200304; and what his grant would have been for (a) 200304 and (b) 200405 had he not accepted the Isle of Wight's argument about the New Earnings Survey sample size.

Nick Raynsford: The Isle of Wight Council received 96.318 million in formulae grant in 200304.
	At the 200304 provisional settlement, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister calculated the area cost adjustment (ACA) for the Isle of Wight separately from that of Hampshire. As a result the Isle of Wight had an ACA factor of one. Had the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continued to calculate the ACA in this way for the 200304 and 200405 settlements, it is likely that the Island would have continued to receive an ACA factor of one. And correspondingly they would have received less revenue support grant in 200304 and 200405.
	However, precisely quantifying the effect of changing the ACA used in the 200304 and 200405 settlement can be done only at disproportionate cost. This is because it would require the re-calculation of the 200304 and 200405 ACA and the 200304 and 200405 settlements including the floor and ceiling calculations. This is a lengthy process.

Local Government Finance

Stephen Pound: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made in the balance of funding review of the impact on London local authorities of a local income tax.

Phil Hope: The Balance of Funding Review Steering Group heard evidence from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on 4 March on the pros and cons of a local income tax. Their evidence included some assessment of the effect of different models of local income tax on different parts of the country.

Local Government Grants

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions he has rejected a local authority's application to introduce a houses in multiple occupation control registration scheme which did not comply with the model scheme requirements.

Keith Hill: Following the 1999 consultation paper on the Government's proposal for licensing of houses in multiple occupation the Department agreed a number of variations that could be made to the model scheme to reflect its proposals for licensing of HMOs. No applications have been received which do not conform to the variations and accordingly no schemes have been refused.

Local Government Grants

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the safety net on losses on benefit subsidy is for Harrogate borough council in financial year 200405.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available.
	Under the new system it is not possible to predict exactly how much local authorities will receive in housing benefit/council tax benefit subsidy. There are a number of variables that will determine the outcome and these will not be known until the end of 200405. However, if a local authority's final housing benefit/council tax benefit subsidy for 200405 shows it to be disadvantaged by more than 0.5 per cent. of the amount they would otherwise have received under the previous system, its loss in that year would be limited to 0.5 per cent.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 9 March 2004, Official Report, column 144W, on the Local Government Pension Scheme, whether revisions to the Local Government Pension Scheme will facilitate early retirement being used as a mechanism to facilitate reorganisation.

Phil Hope: The proposed revisions to the Local Government Pension Scheme do not remove the capacity of local authority employers to make their own business decisions about early retirements when reorganisations occur. In doing so, they will need to take into account any resultant pension costs as exemplified by the appropriate pension fund authority, while at the same time ensuring their actions do not discriminate against older workers.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will issue guidance and advice to local authorities on changes in the rules on part-time employees in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Phil Hope: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury on 8 March 2004, Official Report, column 1224W. The Local Government Pensions Committee of the Employers' Organisation for Local Government have now issued the further guidance referred to in that answer. Their Circular 152, dated March 2004, is available on their website at: http://www.lg-employers.gov.uk/documents/pensions/152march04.doc

Mobile Phone Masts

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what penalties there are for mobile phone companies that fail to consult on the (a) erection and (b) upgrading of mobile phone masts;
	(2)  what requirements there are for mobile phone companies to consult residents when mobile phone masts near their homes are upgraded.

Keith Hill: The statutory requirements on a local planning authority to consult once a planning application or application for prior approval has been submitted are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 and Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development Order) 1995 respectively.
	Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) on Telecommunications together with the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development set out guidance and best practice for consultation on mobile mast development.
	Both documents encourage the operators to undertake consultation and the traffic light model set out in the code is used to help develop a consultation plan for each proposed site. The operators have committed themselves to doing this and to independent monitoring of their implementation of this commitment.

New Deal for Communities

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which consultants have been used by (a) his Department and (b) each New Deal for Communities partnership on the New Deal for Communities in each financial year since 19992000; and at what cost.

Yvette Cooper: A list of consultants 35 New Deal for Communities (NDC) Partnerships have used from the period 19992000 to date has been made available in the Library of the House. Unfortunately due to the time restriction we were unable to obtain data for four NDC partnerships, I will write to the hon. Member once the information is collated and wall make a copy of the letter in the Library.
	The spreadsheet also contains information on the consultants that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister NDC Programme team have used from the period of 20022003 to date. Due to changes in the departmental accounting computer system the information for years prior to 20022003 is not readily available.

Public Bodies (Expenditure)

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) administration costs for (i) rent assessment panels, (ii) The Ordnance Survey, (iii) The Standards Board for England, (iv) The Housing Corporation, (v) Housing Action Trust, (vi) The Boundary Commission for England, (vii) The Boundary Commission for Wales, (viii) The Property Advisory Group, (ix) The Audit Commission, (x) English Partnerships, (xi) The Rent Service, (xii) The Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, (xiii) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, (xiv) The Fire Service College, (xv) The Planning Inspectorate, (xvi) The Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils, (xvii) The Building Regulations Advisory Committee, (xviii) The Community Forum, (xix) The Residential Property Advisory Group and (xx) Valuation Tribunal for this financial year.

Yvette Cooper: For 200304, figures are tabled as follows:
	
		
		
			  (a) Total budget (b) Departmental funding (c) Administration costs 
		
		
			 (i) Rent Assessment Panels 9,720,000 9,720,000 (62)7,288,000 
			 (ii) Ordnance Survey 111,100,000 Nil Not defined within total budget 
			 (iii) Standards Board for England 8,944,000 8,944,000 7,891,000 
			 (iv) Housing Corporation 1,898,900,000 1,897,800,000 38,200,000 
			 (v) Housing Action Trusts 101,398,345 76,268,000 12,021,217 
			 (vi) Boundary Commission for England 2,086,000 2,086,000 1,208,000 
			 (vii) Boundary Commission for Wales 314,000 314,000 192,000 
			 (x) English Partnerships 136,108,000 (63)235,000,000 29,100,000 
			 (xi) The Rent Services(64) 46,100,000 46,100,000 46,100,000 
			 (xiii) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 8,060,000 Nil Not defined within total budget 
			 (xiv) Fire Service College 20,000,000 7,634,000 Not defined within total budget 
			 (xv) Planning Inspectorate(65) 51,737,000 41,759,000 48,976,000 
			 (xx) Valuation Tribunals 10,793,000 10,793,000 10,793,000 
		
	
	(62) Includes elements for travel and subsistence paid to tribunal members and cost of hire of hearing rooms.
	(63) English Partnerships' total budget figure is the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) which applies to accrued net expenditure for the year. Under resource accounting policy, site acquisitions do not score against DEL when purchased but at the time of disposal. Departmental funding by way of grant-in-aid provides EP with the funds to acquire land which is held on the balance sheet but will not score in DEL until the time of disposal.
	(64)All figures for TRS include 5.510 million capital
	(65) All figures for PINS include 4.119 million capital.
	On (ix), the Audit Commission, the Controller of Audit will write to you separately. The remaining bodies are all classified as advisory NDPBs: (viii) the Property Advisory Group, (xii) the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, (xvi) the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils, (xvii) the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, (xviii) the Community Forum, and (xix) the Residential Property Advisory Group do not receive Government funding other than the internal costs to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of sponsoring these bodies.

Regional Assemblies

Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether staff from county and district councils in the regions of the north west, north east and Yorkshire and the Humber would be entitled to redundancy if regional assemblies were established and they were offered (a) no new employment, (b) a job in the new unitary authorities and (c) a job in the regional assembly;
	(2)  whether staff displaced from existing local authorities offered new placements would be given compensation for relocation following the formation of regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently considering with the Local Government Association, local government employers, trade unions and other key stakeholders potential arrangements for local government reorganisation. In the light of this work the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will decide what arrangements to adopt for any reorganisation following the referendum this autumn.

Regional Assemblies

Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what revenue raising powers the proposed regional assemblies for (a) the North West, (b) the North East and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber would have.

Nick Raynsford: The revenue raising powers of elected regional assemblies were set out in Chapter 5 of the White Paper Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions, published in May 2002 (Cm 5511).
	In summary, the White Paper states that assemblies will receive a general grant to meet most of their direct running costs. But the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believe that an assembly should be able to raise some extra money within the region if believes that this is desirable. Thus assemblies will be able to raise additional funds through a precept on the council tax. The money will be collected on behalf of the assembly by local authorities in the region as part of their existing arrangements for collecting council tax. As is the case for London, an assembly will not be able to vary non-domestic rates or affect business taxes.
	The contribution of council tax-payers to the running costs of the assembly would be equivalent to around 5p per week (2.60 a year) for a Band D council tax-payer in any region.
	An elected assembly would be allowed to set a higher charge to fund additional spending if it considered this desirable. Assemblies will be accountable to their tax-payers for the precept levels that they set, however, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will have a reserve power to limit this amount through arrangements comparable to the existing local authority capping regime.

Shell Haven Port

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to impose a condition of approval for the Shell Haven Port application of a heritage fund to enable the local fishing industry to restart at a future date if the development goes ahead;
	(2)  if he will make if his policy to impose a condition of approval for the Shell Haven Port application that no dredging will take place at low water during the March to June spawning season.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	The applications for a new container port at London Gateway (formerly Shell Haven) are subject to the statutory planning approvals process. The inspector's report of the Public Inquiry held into the London Gateway proposals is now before Ministers for consideration. I cannot therefore make any further comment.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Coroners' Inquiries

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 10 March 2004, Official Report, columns 157172W, on coroners' inquiries, what the average length of time in bringing cases before the coroners' courts in (a) North Yorkshire, (b) East Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire and (d) South Yorkshire was in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Paul Goggins: In 2002, the latest year for which figures are available, the average time taken to process an inquest in the four areas mentioned, from the time the death was reported to the coroner until the time the inquest was concluded, is calculated to be just under four and a half months. On the same basis, the average time taken in those four areas for the coroner to issue a certificate permitting a body to be released for burial or other disposal, in cases where an inquest was subsequently held, amounted to six days.
	In 1997, in the same areas, the average time taken to process an inquest was just over three months, and to issue a certificate, five and a quarter days.

Drugs

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to date is of (a) setting up, (b) publicising and (c) running the Talk to FRANK service.

Caroline Flint: The FRANK marketing and advertising budget is 3 million per annum over three years (April 2002-March 2005) and is jointly funded by Home Office and Department of Health. The budget covers costs for: media, production of advertising and support literature, research and evaluation of the campaign, website development, PR and partnership marketing. For 200304 an additional 1.14 million was added to the publicity budget. The service also attracts running costs covered under a wider Department of Health contract for four helplines. An estimate of the proportion of total contract costs (1.8 million) attributable to FRANK is not currently available.

Escort Contractors

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 15 March 2004, Official Report, column 130W, on escort contractors, what the equivalent figure was for each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The eight court escort contracts and the national contract for the movement of prisoners between prisons were introduced on a phased basis between April 1993 and April 1999; therefore complete national records are available only from April 1999.
	These records show that Prison Service and contractors' vehicles covered the following approximate distances:
	
		
			  (66)Distance 
		
		
			 1999 17,300,000 
			 2000 22,400,000 
			 2001 22,800,000 
			 2002 23,100,000 
			 2003 22700,000 
		
	
	(66) Approximate
	In addition, around 3,750,000 miles were covered between January and February 2004.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he put in place to allow the pistol shooting events at the last Commonwealth Games to take place within the law.

Caroline Flint: The National Rifle Association, who hosted the shooting events at Bisley, provided details of every team taking part in the pistol shooting events and of every official who would have access to pistols. Specific authorities were then issued by the Home Office under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. The authorities were dated so as to come into force one week before the commencement of the Games and to expire 10 days after the close.
	The pistols were brought into the country through Heathrow airport, where they were put into secure storage. They were then taken by section 5 authorised carrier to Bisley where they were placed in the secure armoury. The pistols were allowed out of the armoury only for the necessary practice and competition and returned to the armoury immediately after the shoot. No pistol was allowed to be taken off the site.
	At the closing of the Games, all the pistols were taken out of the country in the same way they had arrived.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the safety record of shooting sports in England and Wales.

Caroline Flint: No information is collated centrally in relation to accidents or injuries resulting specifically from the use of firearms in connection with shooting sports.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions he had with the police regarding the combining of section 1 and section 2 firearms on the same certificate;
	(2)  what representations he has received calling for (a) .22 gallery rifles to be licensed and (b) the introduction of (i) individual testing in the use of firearms and (ii) hunting examinations before the issue of a firearms certificate in England and Wales;
	(3)  what studies his Department has conducted into the difference in the numbers of fatalities and injuries from firearms incidents in those countries that have (a) individual testing in the use of firearms and (b) hunting examinations and those that do not.

Caroline Flint: There have been no formal discussions or representations on these issues. There will be an opportunity for all interested parties to comment on these and all other firearms-related issues in responding to the consultation paper we will be issuing shortly on the review of firearms legislation. No specific studies have been undertaken by the Home Office of practices in other countries relating to competency testing and hunting examinations.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the (a) efficiency and (b) practicality of the current arrangements for licensing section 2 firearms.

Caroline Flint: We shall be seeking views on this as part of the review of firearms legislation. A consultation paper will be issued shortly.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information he has collated on (a) the time taken by the police and (b) the cost incurred to process (i) a firearms certificate and (ii) a shotgun certificate;
	(2)  what (a) qualifications and (b) experience are required by the police of officers serving in firearms licensing departments;
	(3)  what training is offered (a) before and (b) during posting to firearms inquiry officers;
	(4)  what plans he has to ensure the efficiency of the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004;
	(5)  what information he has collated on the plans being made by each constabulary firearms licensing department for the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004.

Caroline Flint: Police forces are responsible under the Firearms Acts for issuing firearms and shotgun certificates. It is for individual chief officers to establish targets for dealing with applications and for ensuring that staff are properly selected and trained for the tasks they carry out.
	The average times taken for each force to undertake these functions are not centrally recorded but we understand that most forces would aim to deal with most applications within four to eight weeks.
	As with other respects of police administration, firearms licensing is subject to monitoring by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Forces are required to carry out a five year rolling programme of best value reviews of all areas of business.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants denied section 1 and section 2 certificates have appealed to the courts against the decision of the chief officer of each constabulary in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many appeals were successful.

Caroline Flint: Firearms licensing statistics for England and Wales are published annually in Home Office statistical bulletins, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. Details are given of applications which are refused but no information is available on the outcome of any subsequent appeals.
	Court statistics provide some information on the volume of appeals but I understand from the Department for Constitutional Affairs that these data are only complete back to 1998 and can only be provided on a court rather than police force basis. Area figures are as follows:
	
		Volume of appeals against revoked firearms licences
		
			 Area (by Crown court) 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 7 7 8 7 9 3 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 2 1 1 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 2 7 1 3 1 
			 Cheshire 11 16 7 1 2 0 
			 Cleveland 4 5 5 3 0 1 
			 Cumbria 2 0 2 0 2 0 
			 Derbyshire 8 8 5 1 2 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 11 8 2 5 10 
			 Dorset 5 2 0 2 0 0 
			 Durham 2 5 5 2 1 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 15 32 16 14 22 15 
			 Essex 17 8 7 4 12 8 
			 Gloucestershire 5 1 3 0 4 0 
			 Greater London 12 11 9 5 9 6 
			 Greater Manchester 4 0 1 2 2 3 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 16 8 12 13 7 14 
			 Hertfordshire 3 5 1 2 0 0 
			 Humberside 2 3 7 6 3 4 
			 Kent 7 3 4 0 0 2 
			 Lancashire 9 4 10 4 7 3 
			 Leicestershire 7 2 2 1 2 2 
			 Lincolnshire 3 1 3 4 0 3 
			 Merseyside 1 2 3 3 0 1 
			 Norfolk 9 16 8 7 2 0 
			 North Wales 1 4 5 5 3 3 
			 North Yorkshire 6 3 3 0 1 0 
			 Northamptonshire 4 3 3 4 5 2 
			 Northumbria 9 13 16 2 5 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 3 4 3 2 1 
			 South Wales and Gwent 21 12 10 2 9 2 
			 South Yorkshire 3 5 1 2 3 5 
			 Staffordshire 5 1 0 4 2 2 
			 Suffolk 8 7 6 4 4 6 
			 Surrey 4 2 7 3 2 7 
			 Sussex 8 9 8 9 2 6 
			 Thames Valley 7 3 7 5 3 5 
			 Warwickshire 0 1 5 0 2 1 
			 West Mercia 2 4 2 1 0 2 
			 West Midlands 16 3 4 3 2 4 
			 West Yorkshire 14 7 5 3 4 1 
			 Wiltshire 1 2 3 6 2 0 
			 England and Wales 272 235 224 141 146 134 
		
	
	These figures relate only to those cases where the appeal is clearly against refusal to grant a firearm or shot gun certificate. Other cases listed only as 'refusal of certificate' have not been counted since these might refer to taxi or entertainment licences.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many .22 gallery rifles he estimates are in circulation in England and Wales;
	(2)  how many .22 shooting galleries he estimates there are in England and Wales;
	(3)  any (a) fatalities and (b) injuries were caused by the use of .22 gallery rifles in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available centrally. We will be seeking views on this aspect of shooting as part of the review of firearms legislation.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Home Office approved target shooting clubs there are in the Lancashire constabulary area.

Caroline Flint: There are 20 target shooting clubs currently approved by the Secretary of State in the Lancashire constabulary area.

Firearms

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants have applied to join Home Office approved target shooting clubs in each year since 1998; and how many have been successful.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not kept centrally.

Firearms

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on liaison between the Firearms Consultative Committee and a parallel body established in Northern Ireland.

Caroline Flint: As my hon. Friend will be aware, the Firearms Consultative Committee has ceased to exist. The extent to which it sought to liaise with Northern Ireland, which has its own separate legislation, would have been a matter for the Committee to determine.

Forensic Science

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet a small contingent from the Privatisation of Forensic Science lobby of Parliament on 30 March.

Hazel Blears: I would be pleased to meet the hon. Member and his colleagues, but it would be helpful if we could agree to meet once I have had opportunity to consider the outline business case currently being prepared by my officials.

Information Technology

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2004, Official Report, column 1175W, on information technology, how many of the cases cited in the table related to (a) breaches of data protection law and (b) pornography.

Paul Goggins: None of the cases cited involved breaches of data protection laws. Of the two cases in 2002 involving Prison Service staff, one resulted in a member of staff being dismissed for downloading material believed to be pornographic. The other cases cited involved inappropriate use of e-mail and/or browsing inappropriate internet sites.

Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the evaluation report of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme undertaken by Oxford University will be published.

Paul Goggins: We expect the report to be ready for publication, following peer review, in the summer.

Juvenile Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of recorded crime was committed by persons aged (a) 15 to 18 years and (b) 15 to 21 years in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The requested information is not available centrally.

Prisons

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effects of funding of the Lancashire Probation Service on the funding of the weekend custody suite at Kirkham Prison.

Paul Goggins: There are no financial implications for the Lancashire Probation Service as a consequence of the introduction of intermittent custody pilots at Kirkham Prison. The Lancashire Probation Service does second three staff to Kirkham Prison, but the cost of these is fully reimbursed by the Prison Service.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the firms which are being invited to bid to (a) build and (b) run prisons.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 22 March 2004
	There are currently no plans for competitions to build or to run prisons. Should such a competition be launched, this would be announced in a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union setting out details of the relevant contract and inviting expressions of interest. Those firms known to be likely to have an interest in the competition would be notified of the announcement. It is for these firms and any other interested firm to decide whether to bid.

Prisons

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been assaulted in (a) privately and (b) publicly run prisons in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The assaults data the Prison Service collects is an overall total for all assaults within a prison, it does not breakdown into assaults on prisoners, staff or others. However our current Key Performance Indicator for Serious Assaults, which offers a better indication of prisoner violence, has been given. This data is collected in a manner which does not identify cases of multiple or repeat assault on individual prisoners.
	
		
			  Number of serious assaults on prisoners Average prisoner population Rate of serious assaults as a proportion of prisoner population (percentage) 
		
		
			  Contracted prisons (privately operated) 
			 2001 50 5,511 0.9 
			 2002 54 6,615 0.8 
			 2003 74 6,713 1.1 
			 
			 Public prisons  
			 2001 447 60,790 0.7 
			 2002 521 64,163 0.8 
			 2003 687 66,325 1.0

Prisons

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from (a) privately and (b) publicly run prisons in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			 Contracted prisons(privately operated) Number of serious escapesfrom prisons 
		
		
			 2001 3 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Public prisons Number of escapes from prisons 
		
		
			 2001 5 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 12

Prisons

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average ratio of prisoners to wardens was in (a) privately and (b) publicly run prisons in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by category (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) C.

Paul Goggins: Contracted prisons (privately operated).
	
		
			 Category Average prisoner population-2003 Prison custody officers(67) Ratio 
		
		
			 A
			 B 6060 1531 3.96 
			 C 340 95 3.58 
		
	
	(67) Prison Custody Officers are the equivalent of the public prisons Prison Officer
	
		Public prisons
		
			 Category Average prisoner population Unified officers Ratio 
		
		
			 A 6272 3967 1.58 
			 B 3406 1184 2.88 
			 C 19001 5092 3.73

Prisons

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sentenced prisoners and (b) remand prisoners were in employment prior to entering prison in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The available information is from large-scale resettlement surveys of sentenced prisoners nearing release, conducted in November-December 2001 and March-April 2003. In both surveys 33 per cent. of prisoners had been in employment, training or education in the four weeks before entering custody. Comparable information for preceding years is not available.

Prisons

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners serving (a) short-term and (b) long-term sentences had employment upon release in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The available information is from large-scale resettlement surveys of sentenced prisoners nearing release, conducted in November-December 2001 and March-April 2003. In both surveys 30 per cent. of prisoners had employment, training or education arranged on release. Comparable information for preceding years is not available.

Prisons

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) short-term and (b) long-term prisoners were released in England and Wales without overnight accommodation in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The available information, from large-scale resettlement surveys of sentenced prisoners nearing release conducted in NovemberDecember 2001 and MarchApril 2003, is contained in the following table. Comparable information for preceding years is not available.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Resettlement survey 
			  2001 2003 
		
		
			 Under 12 months 34 32 
			 12 months to less than four years 35 25 
			 Four years or over 24 23 
			 Total 33 29

Prisons

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners in England and Wales used prison gymnasium and sports facilities in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The precise information that the right hon. Member seeks is not available. However, information is available on the amount of time that prisoners spend on physical education. This information is available for the last four years only and is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Average weekly number of prisoners undertaking physical education Percentage of prisoners undertaking physical education 
		
		
			 200203 14,047 20.0 
			 200102 13,235 19.9 
			 200001 13,541 21.2 
			 19992000 11,198 17.4

Probation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets were set for the National Probation Service for the (a) current and (b) last financial year and to what extent they have been achieved.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Service were set targets in eight key areas in 200203. The targets relating to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) and the number starting basic skills courses were met while the targets on basic skills awards, victim contacts and clarity of court reports on minority ethnic offenders were narrowly missed. Targets on enforcement, accredited programmes and sickness absence were not met. The following table gives more details.
	Targets were set in the same eight key areas in 200304 with substantial increases in the numerical targets from those set in 200203. There was a 50 per cent. increase in the DTTO, target, a 25 per cent. increase in the accredited programmes target, and 167 per cent. and 300 per cent. increases in the basic skills starts and awards targets respectively. The following table shows the extent to which these targets are currently being met by expressing the achievement between April and December (the latest available data) as a proportion of the expected level of achievement during the period. The expected level of achievement has been based on the trends achieved during 200203. The target on contacting victims has been exceeded whilst basic skills awards, accredited programmes and DTTOs are narrowly under the target expected at this stage in the year.
	
		National Probation Service targets 200203 and 200304
		
			  200203 200304 
			 Key performance measure Target Actual Percentage of target achieved Target Actualto date Expectedto date Percentageof expected achieved 
		
		
			 Commencements of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders 6,000 6,140 102 9,000 6,159 6,490 95 
			 Completions of Accredited Programmes 12,000 7,716 64 15,000 9,177 10,457 88 
			 Percentage of orders enforced in accordance with national standards 90 64  90 76   
			 Number starting basic skills courses 6,000 5,983 100 16,000 8,641 11,010 78 
			 Number of basic skills awards 1,000 848 85 4,000 1,675 1,840 91 
			 Percentage of victims contacted in accordance with national standards 85 81  85 91   
			 Percentage of court reports on minority ethnic offenders with clear proposals 95 92  95
			 Sickness absence (average number of days per person per year) 10 11.9  9 12.1

Probation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether targets for the National Probation Service during 200405 will be revised in the light of past performance.

Paul Goggins: Targets for the National Probation Service for 200405 have been issued to areas and are set out in the table.
	The second column indicates whether the target is new, has been increased compared to 200304, or is unchanged.
	Past and current performance has been taken into account in setting these targets, which are intended to be stretching yet achievable. For example, the new compliance target has been set at 70 per cent. based on current performance of 62 per cent.
	
		
			 Measure/Target 200405 Change from200304 
		
		
			 Enforcement and Compliance  
			 Initiate breach proceedings according to National Standards within 10 days in 90 per cent. of cases No change  
			 Increase to 70 per cent. the proportion of orders and licences in which the offender complies New target 
			   
			 Offending Behaviour Programmes  
			 To achieve 15,000 completions No change 
			   
			 Enhanced Community Punishment  
			 To achieve 30,000 completions New target 
			   
			 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders 
			 To achieve 13,000 order commencements, including 1,000 lower intensity orders Increased  
			 To improve completion rates to 35 per cent. New target 
			 To increase the number of first contacts made within one day of the order being made to 90 per cent. New target 
			 To increase the number of first contacts made with the treatment provider within two days of the order being made to 90 per cent. New target 
			   
			 Basic Skills  
			 To achieve 32,000 starts and 8,000 awards Increased 
			   
			 Intensive Control and Change Programme 
			 To achieve 1,788 orders made and 1,101 completions New target 
			   
			 Reports to Courts  
			 Clear proposals to be made in 95 per cent. of court report on ethnic minority offenders No change 
			   
			 Victim Contact  
			 85 per cent. of victims to be contacted within eight weeks of an offender receiving 12 months imprisonment or more for serious sexual or violent offence No change

Probation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors led to the decision to close the Diversity Unit within the National Probation Directorate.

Paul Goggins: Probation areas' budgets for 200405 include 5.61 million, (1 per cent. of the total budget) that is dedicated to diversity projects. This is a three-fold increase on the previous year. Building on the progress made in recent years, the National Probation Service (NPS) intends to fully integrate diversity as a key part of its work. In order to achieve this, the National Probation Directorate's drive on diversity will include three elements:
	the Regions and Performance Management Unit, where a new post filled by the previous Head of the Diversity Unit will provide support to local areas
	the Human Resources Unit, which will lead on diversity policy development in relation to NPS staff
	the Interventions Unit, which will provide similar leadership in relation to the offenders the Service works with.

Probation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are available in probation hostels in England and Wales; and how many of these places are occupied by (a) convicted sex offenders and (b) others covered by Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel arrangements.

Paul Goggins: There are currently 100 approved probation and bail hostels (approved premises) in England and Wales, providing around 2,240 places. No published data is available on the numbers of offenders convicted or charged with sexual offences who are resident in approved premises nor is there any published data on the number of Multi-Agency Public Probation Panel registered offenders in approved premises.

Probation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been received by the National Probation Directorate from the probation areas following the decision to award the contract for hostel facilities to Anglia Water.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Directorate (NPD) regularly receives representations on the operation of the facilities management contract for approved hostels that was awarded to Anglian Water Group in October 2002. These representations are made through a series of Divisional Forums, meeting quarterly, whose membership includes the relevant local probation areas. NPD has also received a number of representations on facilities management issues from individuals and from probation areas.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation areas in England and Wales have reported that they will experience difficulties in producing a balanced budget for 200405.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Directorate has received letters from either the Chief Officer and/or the Chair of nine probation areas concerning the difficulties in producing a balanced budget for 200405. Most of these areas are also those that are forecasting an over-spend for 200304.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation areas in England and Wales are expecting a shortfall in budget for 200405.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Directorate has now received budget details for 200405 from most of the 42 probation areas. Some information is still awaited from some areas. These budgets are currently being analysed. Probation boards are required to produce a balanced budget in accordance with the rules of the Financial Memorandum agreed between the Home Office and the Probation Boards. The National Probation Directorate will carefully scrutinise probation board budgets to ensure that the assumptions that underpin those budgets are sustainable. Boards will not be allowed to have budget deficits or shortfalls.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected shortfall in the London probation area budget for 200405 is.

Paul Goggins: The London Probation Area budget for 2004/05 is currently being compiled by officials at the London Probation Area in consultation with the National Probation Directorate. Probation boards are required to produce a balanced budget in accordance with the rules of the financial memorandum agreed between the Home Office and the probation boards.

Rape

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many allegations of rape were reported to the police by women in (a) 1981, (b) 1991, (c) 2001 and (d) the last year for which statistics are available; how many of these reports resulted in prosecutions in each year; and how many prosecutions were successful;
	(2)  how many allegations of rape were reported to the police by men in (a) 1981, (b) 1991, (c) 2001 and (d) the last year for which statistics are available; how many of these reports resulted in prosecutions in each year; and how many prosecutions were successful.

Paul Goggins: Information on crimes reported to the police are not collected centrally. However, available data on the number of offences of rape recorded by the police are given in the table.
	
		Offences of rape recorded by the police in England and Wales
		
			 Year(68) Rape of a female Rape of a male(69) Total rape offences 
		
		
			 1981 1,068  1,068 
			 1991 4,045  4,045 
			 200001 7,929 664 8,593 
			 200102(70) 8,990 730 9,720 
			 200203(70) 11,441 852 12,293 
		
	
	(68) Numbers of offences were recorded on a calendar year basis until 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter. There was a change of counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which had the effect of increasing the number of crime counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
	(69) The offence of Rape of a male was added to the Recorded crime series from 1995.
	(70) The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced across England and Wales in April 2002. Some police forces adopted the Standard prior to this date. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crime recorded by the police and had an overall impact of increasing crime in 200203 by 10 per cent., although this figure will differ for different crime types. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not directly comparable with previous years.
	The available prosecution statistics are given in the table. Court proceedings data relates to offenders and it is therefore not directly comparable with the recorded crime statistics.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty all courts for rape offencesEngland and Wales 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2002(71)
		
			 Offence type Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 1981 Rape of a female 587 320 
			 1991 Rape of a female 1711 540 
			 2001 Rape of a female 2,472 522 
			 Rape of a male 179 50 
			 2002 Rape of a female 2,780 611 
			 Rape of a male 165 44 
		
	
	(71) These data are on the principal offence basis

Sentencing Statistics

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were sentenced for (a) burglary, (b) assault, (c) actual bodily harm, (d) grievous bodily harm and (e) drug related offences in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was;
	(2)  how many people were sentenced in England and Wales for (a) theft and (b) handling stolen goods in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was;
	(3)  how many people were sentenced in England and Wales for (a) fraud and (b) forgery in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was;
	(4)  what the average custody rate for all recorded offences was in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of offenders sentenced, sentenced to immediate custody, the custody rate and the average custodial sentence length at all courts for the requested offences, England and Wales 1993 to 2002.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the Autumn.
	
		Number of offenders sentenced, sentenced to immediate custody, the custody rate and average custodial sentence length for various offences at all courtsEngland and Wales 1993 to 2002 -- Total sentenced
		
			 Offence 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Burglary 40,249 37,954 35,450 32,388 31,656 31,087 29,329 26,694 24,655 26,376 
			 Assault (72) 19,024 21,860 29,298 29,983 31,992 35,278 37,457 37,415 37,612 40,599 
			 Actual bodily harm 26,221 25,002 17,313 16,762 17,687 18,449 17,514 16,710 15,054 14,966 
			 Grievous bodily harm 7,149 6,874 5,882 6,028 6,112 6,437 6,062 5,856 5,815 6,158 
			 Drug offences 21,915 27,779 31,587 34,044 40,438 48,783 48,946 44,955 45,680 49,015 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 121,48 121,42 116,07 114,37 118,21 125,24 130,64 127,58 126,41 126,71 
			 Fraud and forgery 17,499 18,390 17,232 16,319 16,930 19,645 20,203 19,155 18,207 18,126 
			 All notifiable offences 366,33 375,05 369,30 370,79 391,60 422,65 427,52 412,99 407,38 423,26 
			
			 Sentenced to immediate custody(73) 
			 Burglary 11,899 13,036 13,497 13,503 14,338 14,547 14,345 13,677 12,476 13,350 
			 Assault (72) 1,165 1,657 2,540 2,890 3,383 3,812 4,385 4,259 4,276 4,532 
			 Actual bodily harm 3,232 3,626 3,462 3,656 4,091 4,290 4,342 4,404 4,152 3,850 
			 Grievous bodily harm 2,966 3,251 3,215 3,633 3,567 3,784 3,566 3,569 3,669 3,782 
			 Drug offences 3,603 4,035 5,275 6,694 7,749 8,458 8,731 8,141 8,499 8,284 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 10,081 13,006 15,637 16,639 19,396 21,818 24,427 25,983 26,205 27,945 
			 Fraud and forgery 2,427 2,674 3,315 3,377 3,606 4,130 4,034 3,726 3,826 3,754 
			 All notifiable offences 49,587 56,644 64,954 70,362 77,310 83,881 87,174 87,491 87,050 92,189 
		
	
	
		
			  1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Custody rate(74)(Percentage) 
			 Burglary 30 34 38 42 45 47 49 51 51 51 
			 Assault (72) 6 8 9 10 11 11 12 11 11 11 
			 Actual bodily harm 12 15 20 22 23 23 25 26 28 26 
			 Grievous bodily harm 41 47 55 60 58 59 59 61 63 61 
			 Drug offences 16 15 17 20 19 17 18 18 19 17 
			 Theft and handling 8 11 13 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 
			 stolen goods   
			 Fraud and forgery 14 15 19 21 21 21 20 19 21 21 
			 All notifiable offences 14 15 18 19 20 20 20 21 21 22 
			
			 Average custodial sentence length (months) (75) 
			 Burglary 11.1 11.4 12.0 13.8 15.8 15.5 15.7 15.9 16.6 17.5 
			 Assault (72) 2.7 2.8 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.8 
			 Actual bodily harm 6.4 6.8 7.4 7.8 7.8 7.5 7.8 8.0 8.5 9.2 
			 Grievous bodily harm 22.0 23.3 24.7 27.0 26.3 25.1 26.4 25.8 27.2 27.7 
			 Drug offences 28.1 27.7 28.1 28.1 28.9 27.0 28.7 30.1 32.5 34.5 
			 Theft and handling 6.8 6.5 6.3 6.0 5.9 5.1 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.1 
			 stolen goods   
			 Fraud and forgery 11.3 11.1 9.9 10.6 9.7 9.3 8.5 8.7 8.6 8.4 
			 All notifiable offences 14.7 14.1 14.0 14.9 14.8 13.1 13.2 13.2 13.8 14.6 
		
	
	(72) Common assault and assault on a constable combined.
	(73) Includes unsuspended imprisonment, secure training orders, s9192 of the Powers of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 replaces the Children and Young Persons Act 1933), partly suspended sentences, detention in a young offender iinstitution and detention and training
	(74) Proportion of offenders sentenced who were sentenced to immediate custody.
	(75) Excludes life sentences.
	Note:
	These data are on the principal offence

Sentencing Statistics

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many first time offenders were sentenced for (a) burglary, (b) violent offences and (c) drug related offences in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was.

Paul Goggins: Estimates of the number of offenders sentenced for (a) burglary (b) violent offences and (c) drug offences and who had no recorded previous convictions for a standard list offence are summarised in the table. 27 per cent. of first time domestic burglars received a custodial sentence in 1996. By 2000, this had increased to 48 per cent. At the same time, the average sentence length had increased from 16 to 18 months. There is no other information for custodial sentences or sentence lengths for these offenders readily available.
	
		
			  Number in offence category 
			  Violent Offences Burglary Drug Offences 
		
		
			 1991 20,730 16,840 8,804 
			 1992 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1993 15,544 8,781 8,451 
			 1994 16,043 8,480 8,856 
			 1995 10,205 7,039 8,885 
			 1996 15,132 8,064 11,661 
			 1997 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 15,744 7,307 15,939 
			 1999 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 14,867 7,118 14,524

Truancy Parental Imprisonment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been sentenced to prison for allowing their children to play truant in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: Information reported to the Home Office shows that just one person was sentenced to immediate custody in England and Wales for the offence of knowing that their child was not attending school and took no reasonable steps to secure their attendance during 2002, the latest year for which figures are available.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.

Wormwood Scrubs

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure has been incurred by the Home Office to date on payment to solicitors representing claimants alleging prison officer abuse at Wormwood Scrubs between November 1992 to October 2001.

Paul Goggins: As of 18 March 2004, 579,243 has been paid to solicitors representing prisoners who allege to have been abused by prison officers at Wormwood Scrubs.

Wormwood Scrubs

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inquiries have been conducted since November 1992 into allegations of prison officer abuse at Wormwood Scrubs; and how many inquiries are under way.

Paul Goggins: Records prior to 1999 are not sufficiently detailed to show how many inquiries into individual allegations of abuse were conducted. Since then, 30 internal inquiries have been conducted into individual allegations of prison officer abuse. The police conducted two major investigations between 1998 and July 2003, into more than 100 allegations of abuse. All of these inquiries have been concluded.

Young Offenders

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent estimate is of the cost to public funds of a week of community service served by a young offender.

Paul Goggins: Currently there are eight community sentences available for young offenders. Of these, two may involve an element of community servicethe Community Punishment Order and the Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Order.
	The Community Punishment Order (formerly the Community Service Order) is available for offenders aged 16 and upwards. Average weekly costs are not available nationally as courts set a total number of hours for community service and the young offender has 12 months to complete them.
	The Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Order also includes community service. It can last between 12 months and three years. Average weekly costs are not available.
	The Youth Justice Board is conducting an activity analysis in order to refine the unit costs of juvenile disposals. This is due to be completed by the end of May 2004 and I will write to my right hon. Friend at that time with the definitive figures.

Young Offenders

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-offending rates for young offenders who have been detained in (a) young offender institutions and (b) secure units were in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Information on reconvictions of young male offenders sent to young offender institutions up to 1999 was published in Tables 9.6 and 9.7 of Prison Statistics, England and Wales 2002 (Cmnd 5996).

Young Offenders

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the numeracy and literacy levels of juvenile offenders detained in local authority secure units (a) at the start and (b) at the end of their period of detainment.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 18 March 2004
	The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales commissions and purchases accommodation for juvenile offenders, including some places in local authority children's homes.
	A YJB audit in those establishments in 2001 found that when they entered custody over half averaged six years behind the normal literacy of their age group and over a third were 10 years behind on numeracy. The YJB is currently collecting information on the educational attainments of young people while in those establishments. This will be published in the board's next Annual Statistical Bulletin, due in the autumn.

Young Offenders

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers were employed at each young offenders' institution in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the planned number of officers was in each month.

Paul Goggins: Staffing requirements are collated centrally every three months. The following table shows the number of staff and planned prison officer posts at each establishment with a major role as a young offenders' institution on a quarterly basis from June 2003. Where an establishment holds more than one category of prisoner, it is not possible to differentiate the staffing requirements for each category.
	
		
			  30 June 2003 30 September 2003 31 December 2003 29 February 2004 
			 Establishment Staff in post(76) Planned posts Staff in post(76) Planned posts Staff in post(76) Planned posts Staff in post(76) Planned posts 
		
		
			 Aylesbury 169.5 175.5 163 158.5 156.5 171.5 160 174 
			 Brinsford 229 235.5 224.5 237.5 228.5 238 230.5 240 
			 Castington 208 218 207.5 217 200.5 215 205.5 215 
			 Deerbolt 178 178 179 180 175.5 182 180.5 183 
			 Feltham 413.5 447 425.5 442 436 493 447 495 
			 Glen Parva 254.5 272 251.5 270 257 278 254 274 
			 Hindley 246.5 293.5 253.5 268 254.5 271 255.5 271 
			  Lancaster Farms209.5 242 218.5 242 220.5 244 221.5 244 
			 Northallerton 67 66 67 67 64 64 66 66 
			 Onley 222.5 234 223.5 234 221.5 231 212.5 229 
			 Portland 167 173.5 164.5 171.5 172 179.5 167.5 177.5 
			 Reading 116 119.5 109 119.5 109 119.5 112 119.5 
			 Rochester 141 151.5 134 149 129 151.5 124.5 143 
			 Stoke Heath 229.5 233 237.5 233 231.5 233 238.5 233 
			 Swinfen Hall 116 118 119 118 117 119 117.5 120 
			 Total 2,967.5 3,157 2,978 3,107 2,973 3,190 2,993 3,184 
		
	
	(76) Figures relate to prison officers, senior officers and principal officers.
	In addition to the overall number of staff in post, officers at young offenders' institutions are currently contracted to work additional hours equivalent to an extra 128.5 officers. Total staffing availability at the end of February 2004 was therefore equivalent to 3,121.5 officers against an operational staffing requirement of 3,184. The shortfall is equivalent to 62.5 officers, or 2.0 per cent. which is an acceptable operating margin. The figures do not include new staff in the recruitment process on 29 February 2004.

Young Offenders

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) certified normal accommodation, (b) operational capacity and (c) population in each Young Offenders' Institution was in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The certified normal accommodation, operational capacity and population of each single function Young Offender Institution in each month from June 2003 is given in the table.
	Where an establishment has multiple functions, such as an adult training prison and a Young Offenders' Institution on a single site, population statistics are also provided.
	
		CNA, operational capacity and population of YOIs by establishment
		
			  2003 2004 
			  June July August September October November December January 
		
		
			  Certified normal accommodation  
			 Aylesbury 351 351 351 351 351 345 345 345 
			 Deerbolt 513 513 513 513 513 513 513 513 
			 Hindley 539 539 539 539 539 539 539 539 
			 Northallerton 45 45 153 153 153 153 153 153 
			 Onley 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 
			 Portland 429 429 429 429 429 429 429 460 
			 Rochester 180 180 180 180 180 180 269 269 
			 Stoke Heath 572 572 572 572 572 572 572 572 
			 Swinfen Hall 311 311 311 311 311 311 311 311 
			 Thorn Cross 316 316 316 316 316 316 316 316 
			 Warren Hill 214 214 214 222 222 222 222 222 
			 Werrington 146 146 146 146 146 146 146 146 
			 Wetherby 360 360 360 300 300 300 300 300  
			  Operational capacity
			 Aylesbury 355 355 355 355 355 350 350 350 
			 Deerbolt 518 518 518 518 518 518 518 518 
			 Hindley 559 559 559 559 559 539 539 539 
			 Northallerton 254 254 254 254 254 254 254 254 
			 Onley 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 
			 Portland 456 456 456 456 456 456 456 487 
			 Rochester 180 180 180 180 180 180 269 269 
			 Stoke Heath 688 688 688 688 688 688 688 688 
			 Swinfen Hall 320 320 320 320 320 320 320 320 
			 Thorn Cross 316 316 316 316 316 316 316 316 
			 Warren Hill 220 220 220 222 222 222 222 222 
			 Werrington 148 148 148 148 148 148 148 148 
			 Wetherby 360 360 360 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Population 
			 Ashfield 226 214 209 199 187 177 168 188 
			 Aylesbury 346 343 338 346 346 345 341 339 
			 Brinsford 224 246 222 246 242 224 235 238 
			 Brockhill 14 20 22 19 15 23 20 23 
			 Bullwood Hall 129 118 122 130 119 122 108 112 
			 Castington 135 135 146 143 146 149 134 108 
			 Chelmsford 77 54 55 57 34 43 49 24 
			 Cookham 28 23 18 25 21 23 16 24 
			 Deerbolt 426 459 458 433 449 482 445 454 
			 Drake Hall 32 40 33 33 34 30 27 27 
			 East Sutton 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 
			  Eastwood Park28 22 22 33 25 26 28 25 
			 Elmley 7 14 11 14 16 9 5 5 
			 Feltham 336 273 234 250 267 269 276 221 
			 Forest Bank 145 130 117 73 79 82 84 77 
			 Glen Parva 574 574 507 519 561 539 529 569 
			 Guys Marsh 131 140 132 134 131 138 128 138 
			 Highdown 8 3 2 1 2 7 1 3 
			 Hindley 494 472 451 494 453 457 476 435 
			 Hollesley Bay 22 27 25 11 18 18 23 21 
			 Holloway 9 24 15 15 14 14 21 16 
			 Huntercombe 265 325 321 317 327 332 315 334 
			 Lancaster 284 292 263 308 306 304 320 326 
			 Low Newton 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Moorland 398 390 390 399 412 425 415 392 
			  Moorland Open113 109 102 102 89 91 63 53 
			 New Hall 75 100 78 82 79 80 69 75 
			 Northallerton 209 204 196 202 248 202 172 198 
			 Norwich 119 116 123 107 123 124 128 123 
			 Onley 496 497 473 468 472 462 378 357 
			 Parc 209 252 247 219 217 197 177 159 
			 Portland 433 446 441 446 453 444 440 439 
			 Reading 16 12 17 19 18 20 12 15 
			 Rochester 164 167 157 170 176 198 215 261 
			 Stoke Heath 581 603 576 586 579 592 549 554 
			 Styal 26 24 16 18 15 18 15 13 
			 Swinfen Hall 312 319 316 314 314 317 310 307 
			 Thorn Cross 182 182 201 201 215 232 185 223 
			 Usk/Prescoed 10 12 6 8 9 6 4 3 
			 Warren Hill 190 178 158 175 176 181 182 174 
			 Werrington 113 125 128 120 125 112 120 133 
			 Wetherby 269 261 272 221 221 214 215 214